You're Coming With Me
by CaskettOlicityJeca
Summary: Beca Mitchell. Jesse Swanson. Anna Astin. Skylar Kendrick. Jesse and Beca take Skylar and Anna under their wings, seeing not only their musical potential, but also the similarities that the younger two share with Beca and Jesse's relationship last year. Life is full of ups and downs. What they don't realise is that if one of them falls, the others are going down with them.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Pitch Perfect_, it's characters, the songs _Don't You (Forget About Me)_ or _Tim McGraw_!**

* * *

**Beca's POV**

"Alright nerds, let's go with…" I look back a Jesse, smirking, "Don't You (Forget About Me)."

Jesse grins at me, nodding his approval. Donald punches him in the shoulder and I can read the words on his lips: "Focus dude. There'll be plenty of time for you to get distracted after auditions."

I laugh and turn back to the other girls around me.

"Focus, Shawshank!" Amy says to me.

"There'll be plenty of time for you to have kinky thoughts about Toyboy later." Stacie adds.

I shake my head at them. "You guys are insufferable."

Stacie just shrugs her shoulders and looks past me, her eyes settling on the Treble table and she winks at Donald.

I poke her arm. "There'll be plenty of time for you to have kinky thoughts about Donny later." I say sarcastically.

Stacie laughs at me. "Really original, shorty."

"Says the one who calls the funsized girl 'shorty'." I retaliate.

"Oooh that's a good one! I'm calling you funsize from now on!" Stacie quips.

"Bellas!" Timothy calls to us. "Can we please have some focus from your table? I am well aware that some of you may have your thoughts elsewhere – specifically the Treble table – but there will be plenty of time for you to get drunk and have sex after Initiation."

I blush and look down, pulling the inside of my cheek between my teeth. Stacie, on the other hand, stands up and says, "Sorry my bad. I'll _try_ to stay focused."

I looked down at the applications in front of me. Eleven girls were auditioning to join The Bellas this year, but we were only really looking to fill two spots. We could possibly squeeze five or six in, tops.

We listen to 31 people sing 20 bars of the song, and I am so over it by the time Justin announces that the auditions for 2014 A Capella have finished. Suddenly a young girl appears in the wings, frantically coming onto the stage.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! Am I too late to audition?" She asks worriedly.

I shake my head. "No Sweetie, go ahead. What's your name?"

"Umm… I'm Anna Astin." She says. "I didn't know I had to prepare that song."

"That's ok. You can sing whatever you want."

Déjà vu hits me as I recall my own unplanned audition.

Anna smiles at me gratefully. I can tell she's nervous. Like, really nervous.

"Ok…" She takes a deep breath and begins singing.

"_He said the way my blue eyes shined_

_Put those Georgia stars to shame that night_

_I said, that's a lie_

_Just a boy in a Chevy truck_

_That had a tendency of getting stuck_

_On back roads at night_

_And I was right there beside him all summer long_

_And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone_

_But when you think Tim McGraw_

_I hope you think my favourite song_

_The one we danced to all night long_

_The moon like a spotlight on the lake_

_When you think happiness_

_I hope you think that little black dress_

_Think of my head on your chest_

_And my old faded blue jeans_

_When you think Tim McGraw…_

_I hope you think of me_

_September saw a month of tears_

_And thankin God that you weren't here_

_To see me like that_

_But in a box beneath my bed_

_Is a letter that you never read_

_Three summers back_

_It's hard not to find it all a little bittersweet_

_And lookin back on all of that it's nice to believe_

_When you think Tim McGraw_

_I hope you think my favourite song_

_The one we danced to all night long_

_The moon like a spotlight on the lake_

_When you think happiness_

_I hope you think that little black dress_

_Think of my head on your chest_

_And my old faded blue jeans_

_When you think Tim McGraw…_

_I hope you think of me_

_And I'm back for the first time since then_

_I'm standin on your street_

_And there's a letter left on your doorstep_

_And the first thing that you'll read_

_Is when you think Tim McGraw_

_I hope you think my favourite song_

_Someday you'll turn your radio on_

_I hope it takes you back to that place!_

_I hope you think that little black dress_

_Think of my head on your chest_

_And my old faded blue jeans_

_When you think Tim McGraw…_

_I hope you think of me_

_Hope you think of me_

_Mmmmm_

_He said the way my blue eyes shined_

_Put those Georgia stars to shame that night_

_I said, that's a lie."_

By the end of the song I was quietly singing along with this girl, Anna. Something that absolutely nobody in the world knows about me is that I admire Taylor Swift and adore her music. She inspired me to chase my dreams in the music industry.

Amy was watching my face and raised an eyebrow when I met her gaze. "You know that song? It sounded like something someone living in a farm on Tasmania would sing."

I roll my eyes at her. "Did you not pick up the line about the Georgia stars? Georgia is in America."

I turn my attention back to Anna. "Thank you. That was really great." I say honestly.

She smiles softly at me. "Thanks."

"We'll let you know, ok?"

She nods her head and begins to walk offstage when I notice her tattoos. A small love heart on her left foot near her pinky toe, and hands in the shape of a love heart on her wrist. "Hey!" I call out to her and she turns back around. "Nice tatts. T.A.S?" I smile at her.

She bites her bottom lip and smiles shyly back at me. "Yeah." She nods her head. "You know her?"

"A little bit." I smirk as her grin grows wider before she turns and leaves the stage.

Timothy walks back on. "Well, that's all for this year, folks. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. I mean, there were a few standouts but most were really just a flop. Happy selections!"

I stand up and the other Bellas follow me out of the auditorium and down the block to our fancy new house. I had managed to talk to the Dean into building a house for us after we won Finals last year. It didn't take all that much convincing because…well we got the school a lot of publicity by beating the Trebles, even if we do come from the same school.

"So…" I say when we sit on the floor in the big, open lounge room. "Any preferences?"

I look specifically at Chloe and Aubrey, who I had asked to help us with choreography and sets this year, just to keep them involved because Chloe is my best friend and Aubrey really isn't that bad either.

Stacie brightens. Of course she would have an opinion. "Oooh! I liked…"

* * *

**Anna's POV**

"Nice tatts!" The woman sitting in the middle of the Bellas table grins at me. "T.A.S?"

I bite my lip, smiling shyly. "Yeah. You know her?"

"A little bit." She smirks, tilting her left wrist slightly so I can see the '13' tattooed there.

I grin happily and walk offstage and bump right into a guy, whose hands immediately go to my hips to balance me.

"Sorry!" I mumble before looking up and recognising the face. "Lord help me." I mutter under my breath.

"Hey! I know you! You were that girl that I sung to at the activities fair the other day!"

I tilt my head in mock thought. "Oh that's right, you're that weirdo!"

"Ooooh and we have a fiery one here, folks!"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "What do you want?"

He sticks his hand out. "I'm Skylar! What's your name?"

I shake his hand, but refuse to divulge my name. "You'll have to guess my name, otherwise I'll take your firstborn child."

"Oooh like Rumplestiltskin?!" He exclaims happily. "Ok, I love guessing games! But, until I discover your name, I'm calling you pint-size."

"Of course you are. Because you are that lame that you call the short girl 'pint-sized'. Real original."

He shrugs his shoulders at me. "Would you rather VC?"

"No, my brother calls me that. Don't hurt yourself in your quest to find out my name." I say and turn, walking away.

"It was an honour to meet you! Until next time, my fair lady!" Skylar shouts after me.

I roll my eyes and continue walking, heading back to my room.

"Hey Rory." I enter the room and sit on my bed, pulling my laptop onto my lap.

"Hi." The girl says in a monotone, not sitting up from her position lying flat on her back on her bed. "How were the auditions?"

"I almost missed them!" I exclaimed. "And then it turns out we were supposed to have prepared a specific song, which I didn't even know, so I just sang Taylor Swift."

"Of course you did." Rory says flatly. How did I get paired with the roommate from hell? Literally. That girl is into some weird shit. I mean, she looks goth, but I'm worried there's something seriously wrong with her upstairs, if you know what I mean. She is convinced she is Satan's mistress. It's kinda creepy. But, at least she talks to me, so it could be worse, I guess. "Why do you like listening to that fancy-ass white girl anyway?"

"Why do you like listening to people playing chainsaws and screaming?" I retaliate with more sting in my words than I meant.

Rory just closes her eyes, signalling the end of our conversation. I roll my eyes and pick up my guitar and notebook to work out some music for the song I wrote yesterday.

I look down at my watch suddenly, having been swept up in the process of writing music. "Shit!" I exclaim, noting the time. 3.00pm exactly. I was supposed to be at the radio station at 3 to start my shift and learn the ropes of the station.

I dump the guitar on my bed, pull some shoes on, and sprint down the hallways and across the campus to the radio station.

I enter the building and the guy sitting at an old wooden desk points me to a door, which I go through and enter a huge, dusty old room full of CDs and records. I smile, finally feeling comfortable for the first time in the whole week I've been at Barden.

I quickly walk past the shelves of discs, heading towards the booth at the back of the room. I see four people standing there talking. A girl and two boys, all with brown hair, have their backs turned to me. The person facing my direction is a blonde guy, well muscled, with tattoos covering his arms. However, they are all deep in conversation and no one notices me until I reach them and say, "Hi I'm Anna!"

"I'm Luke, and you're late." The blonde guy says. I notice his British accent and try to hide my smile. I love accents. They're hot.

"Sorry, I got caught up writing a song." I say as I notice the other three people. My mouth falls open. "You have got to be kidding me."

Skylar grins at me. "Is your name Anna?"

"Real funny." I state dryly.

"You two know each other?" Luke asks.

"No." I say, at the same moment as Skylar says "Yes."

I throw Skylar a death glare, which makes him cower slightly.

"They're just like us last year!" The other brown haired guy whispers not-so-quietly in the girl's ear.

Then I recognise those two as well, from the auditions earlier. The guy is the leader of the Trebles and the girl is the one who knew I was singing Taylor Swift. Looking at her, I wouldn't have her pegged as a Swiftie, but I know better than to judge a book by its cover. Especially as I know that I don't really fit the Taylor Swift fan stereotype either, with the stud in my nose, pierced bellybutton and tattoos.

"You're the girl that sung Tim McGraw at the auditions!" The woman exclaims, offering me her hand. "I'm Beca, by the way!"

I nod my head. "Yeah, that was me. And… well, you already know that I'm Anna."

"I'm Jesse!" Jesse shakes my hand and drapes an arm over Beca's shoulders. "And I am Beca's best friend and lover."

"What did I tell you about saying that word!" Beca exclaims, but I can see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"We'll be best friends and lovers, too." Skylar says in my ear and I jump. "I can see it now."

"Do not say the word 'lover'." I command.

"See! It's not just me who doesn't like it!" Beca exclaims, pulling out of Jesse's arms and coming to stand by me so the two girls are facing off with the two boys. Luke has gone back into the box and has headphones on, oblivious to what's going on out here.

"Well what else would you call what we have?" Jesse questions.

"You are my boyfriend, and occasionally my bed buddy." Beca says with a straight face.

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing and Beca looks at me out of the corner of her eye, giving me a wink.

"And you," I point at Skylar, "Will never be my boyfriend or bed buddy."

Skylar sticks his bottom lip out in a pout and I have to try so hard not to laugh. I have such amazing self control sometimes!

"You and me, kid." Beca says, turning and looking seriously at me. "Those of us who are vertically challenged must stick together. Would you like to be my mini me, my protégée?"

"It would be an honour." I respond.

"You want to be trained in the art of being a bitch who doesn't like movies?" Jesse questions me.

"You don't like movies?!" I exclaim, whirling to look at Beca. "Ok, that could be a source of conflict in this relationship."

"It's not that I don't like them, it's just that they're predictable and I get bored and fall asleep before they finish. But Jesse's spent the last year giving me a movication, so I'm slowly getting better." Beca said.

"It's like she'd been in a devastating accident and I had to show her the joy of life, and how movies are key aspects of that joy!" Jesse says and I laugh.

"You are a weirdo." I state, still chuckling slightly.

"Yeah, but he's my weirdo." Beca says, walking over to him and wrapping her arms tightly around him as he kissed her head.

Well, that makes things sufficiently awkward for Skylar and I. We both walk away from the couple.

"So what are supposed to be doing?" I ask Skylar.

"Organising and stacking CDs. And when we've done these, there's more. And 'no sex on the desk'." He says, attempting to say the last part in a British accent, clearly trying to imitate Luke.

"So we have to stack CDs with the lovebirds over there?" I question, indicating with my head to Beca and Jesse who were quietly talking, engrossed in each other.

"Yep. We are going to get to know each other very well, I believe."

"Yeah, looks like it." I scoff. "Can't they get a room?" I say, as Beca and Jesse kiss each other.

"I think it's sweet. There isn't really much actual romance in life these days."

I look up at him. "Are you sure you're not a girl, saying stuff like that?"

"I was a guy last time I checked."

A few minutes pass in silence and Jesse and Beca come over to help us. "This sucks." I state.

"What?" Beca asks me.

"I wanted to play music, not organise it into alphabetical order." I huff.

"Not me." Skylar says. "I applied for this position with the purest intention of stacking CDs, because that is my lifelong dream: to get to stack CDs with a beautiful girl who seems to hate me."

I look up and glare at him. "You think you're so funny, don't you?"

He nods his head. "Yeah, most of the time."

I let out a loud huff of air and focus back on the CDs in the crate in front of me, but I don't miss the knowing look that Jesse and Beca exchange.

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**AN: So, there's that! Hope you like it! Please, feel free to review! This is my first Pitch story, so let me know if it's ok!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to my two wonderful reviewers, and all those who favourited and / or followed :D**

**So, did anyone pick up on the two new characters names? Anna Astin and Skylar Kendrick? If you don't get it, google the cast members!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own _Pitch Perfect_ or its characters :(**

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**Beca's POV**

We walk out of the station at the end of our shift and walk over, sitting underneath 'our' tree.

I watch Anna walking away, presumably heading to her dorm room, and Skylar walking beside her, trying to make conversation with my protégée.

"Please tell me you let that kid into Trebles! He is like, a mini version of you!" I say to Jesse as I rest my head on his shoulder.

"That's top secret stuff, missy." He says, tapping the tip of my nose.

"Please?" I turn my head up to look at him, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Oh no, don't you try to use those pretty little eyes to seduce me into letting something slip about our newest members."

"For me, Jess?" I plead. "For us?"

"Nope." He shakes his head.

"Fine then." I stand up abruptly. "No movications or sex will be occurring for you tonight."

"That's not fair, Becs!" He calls after me. "That is blackmail and bribery! I will not stoop to your petty level, midget!"

I throw my fist up above my shoulder and show him my middle finger, not turning to look back.

I know he knows I'm smiling like an idiot, even though he can't see me. God, what has that boy done to me?!

* * *

"Ok so, we have four newbies to bring in!" I say to the other seven Bellas – and Chloe and Aubrey. "Aubrey, Chloe, are you ok to stay here and set things up in the basement?"

The two graduates nod their heads in unison.

"Ok. Ashley and Denise, you two are together. This is your victim." I hand them the sheet of paper indicating who they would be kidnapping. "Jessica and Cyn, here you go." I give Jessica and Cynthia Rose their sheet of paper. "Lilly and Amy…" I hand them their piece of paper. "And Stacie, you're coming with me. Now remember, don't let on to the girls who you are or where you're taking them. If any of them freak out, try to calm them down without giving anything away. Meet back here in the basement in half an hour. Go!" Everyone leaves the house and heads in separate directions, except for Stacie, Chloe, Aubrey and I. "So, just get some wine for the chalice, and light a few candles. Aubrey, I don't think we need quite as many as last year." I say to the tall, leggy blonde.

"Got it." She nods her head.

"We'll see you soon with the new recruits!" Chloe says, hugging me tightly before ushering Stacie and I out the front door.

Stacie and I follow the map to our destination. Room 317 of Bakerhall. Just down the hallway from my room last year. We get a key to the room from the woman sitting behind the desk in the lobby of Bakerhall and heap upstairs to room 317. Stacie puts the key in the lock and turns it and I push the door open.

"Whoa…" I mumble quietly as my eyes are met with complete, utter blackness. Stacie's stumbles into my back when I stop to let my eyes adjust and I curse quietly at her.

A body moves in the bed on the left side of the room and sits up. I see a pale face and black hair and immediately think of vampires. God, I've been watching way too many movies with Jesse!

"We come in peace!" I hear Stacie say from behind me, clearly directing her comment to the girl sitting up in bed. "Please don't eat us or drink our blood. We only want her." Stacie points to the bed on the other side of the room.

The vampire person lies back down in her bed, not uttering a sound during our encounter. Together, we walk over to the bed and Stacie holds the yellow silk bag open and ready above the girl's blonde head.

"One, two…" I count in and quickly clamp my hand over the girl's mouth and as she sits bolt upright in surprise Stacie brings the bag down over my head. I can feel the fear rolling off her body and then something warm and wet touches my palm. She licked me! I whip my hand out from under the bag in shock, wiping my hand on my jeans. Thankfully Stacie pressed her hand onto the part of the bag covering the girl's mouth. "Thanks." I say to Stacie who nods her head.

"No problem, funsize."

I lean towards the girl's head and whisper in her ear. "Don't worry. We're just taking you to an initiation night. You're safe, we won't hurt you."

The girl seems to relax and I know she's recognised my voice – I mean, we did spend four hours together this afternoon stacking CDs – and has worked out what's going on.

I nod at Stacie to remove her hand from the girl's mouth and the familiar voice speaks up immediately. "Well, it's comforting to know I'm not about to be raped and murdered."

"Well, you never know." Stacie says and I hit her arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"What happened to not scaring the newbies?!" I hiss at her.

She shrugs her shoulders. "Sorry."

I roll my eyes, knowing for a fact that she is not sorry. Stacie is never sorry about anything. Ever. In her eyes, nothing is a mistake, it's just a learning curve. I really should take a few lessons from that girl and her outlook on the world.

"So, where are we going?" Anna asks quietly.

"It's a surprise." I answer just as Stacie says, "If we tell you, we'll have to kill you."

"Stace, can you please get off the topic of murdering the newbies?" I look at Stacie and she exaggerates a loud sigh.

"So I actually got in? I'm a Bella now?" Anna asks for clarification.

"Almost." I respond. "You just have to make it through initiation."

"What do we do at initiation?"

I smirk at Stacie and answer. "Um, make a few oaths about sexual activity, dance and sing while being surrounded by candles, and drink a bit of blood. You know, just normal college stuff."

Anna's steps falter and I hear her make a choking sound.

Stacie and I both laugh silently at the younger girl's reaction. Stacie grabs hold of Anna's upper arm and pulls her down the hallway. We reach the staircase and slow down.

"Ok, we have the stairs now." I say to Anna. Immediately her free arm reaches out, looking for something to hold onto, and I take her hand. "Don't worry, I've got you."

"Please don't let me fall, Beca." She says quietly.

"I won't, I promise." I say to her as we slowly start making our way down the stairs, Stacie and I both holding Anna to stop her from falling.

We reach the bottom of the stairs and all three of us sigh in relief.

"Beca, who else is with us?" Anna asks as we walk across the quad.

"Stacie. She's our choreographer." I answer. "She was sitting behind me at the auditions."

"Oh, the slutty looking one?" She asks.

"The one and only." Stacie responds.

Anna and I both laugh and Stacie looks at me. "What?!"

"Nothing. I just love how proud you are of the fact that you are willing to sleep with anyone and everyone."

"You only live once." Stacie says, before swinging her hips and starting to sing, "Tonight let's get some and live while we're young!"

"You are nuts." I laugh at her.

"You love me anyway!" She exclaims happily.

"Only when I can't hear you having sex!" I retaliate.

"You love it Beca. You and Jesse haven't even had sex since we got back!"

"That's because we've only been back for a week."

"I've had sex already."

"Yes, but Stacie darling, not everyone feels the need to have sex every second day."

She nods her head. "I know that. I don't understand why they don't, but I do know."

We walk past the Treble house and I see Jesse walking up to their door with someone with a red bag over his head.

"Jess!" I call out to him.

He looks over his shoulder, his eyes searching the street until they settle on me. "Hey Million Dollar Baby!" He exclaims.

"Wait here with her." I say to Stacie, indicating to Anna.

"Ok. Go get 'em, short stuff!" She says.

I laugh at her. "And Stace? Please don't inform her of your sex life. She doesn't need to be scarred like the rest of us are."

"I swear on Donald's grave I will not divulge my secrets to her… yet." Stacie says with a straight face.

"Yeah, ok… On that note I'm going." I say, turning and jogging over to Jesse.

"Hey beautiful!" He says, wrapping his arms around me when I reach him.

"Hey awesome nerd." I respond, gently pressing my lips to his.

"Is that Beca?" A familiar voice asks from under the red bag. "Oi Lover Boy, take this bag off my head!"

"Who've we got here?" I ask, wriggling out of Jesse's arms and trying to peek under the red bag at the guy's face.

"Oh no you don't!" Jesse says, stepping between me and the guy with the bag over his head. "This is top secret business."

"Oh come on Jesse! I know it's Skylar!"

"Hang on… how did you know it was me?!" The guy asked from under the bag.

"I had to spend four hours with you this afternoon. You didn't shut up for those whole four hours! I now know your voice like I know Jesse's!" I explain.

"I don't know how I feel about that revelation." Jesse says, pouting.

"Awww poor baby…" I say, patting his cheek before I turn to walk back to Stacie and Anna. "See you at the party!" I call over my shoulder.

"What party?" Skylar asks.

"Way to ruin the surprise, Becky!" Jesse shouts at me.

I turn around, continuing to walk backwards, and blow a kiss to him.

Jesse grins at me before he turns and drags Skylar into the Treble house by the back of his top.

Stacie and I lead Anna into our house, which is conveniently right next to the Treble house. We're the last ones back. We take Anna down the stairs and into the basement, again holding her arms to prevent her falling.

"About time!" Aubrey exclaims when we walk into the candlelit basement. "You were supposed to be back nine minutes ago!"

"Chill! We had to walk right across the campus to get this one! And Stacie thought her scary roommate was going to eat us. And then we had to walk all the way back across campus. Besides, I'm leader now. You are just an invited guest."

Aubrey gives me a sour look but keeps her mouth closed. I position Anna in the line of our new Bellas and step back.

"Ok nerds… our new Mezzos, Christina and Sarah!" I say and Fat Amy pulls the bags off the two girls heads. "Our new Alto, Anna!" Amy lifts the bag off the small blonde's head. "And our Bass, Halley!" Amy lifts the final bag.

I pick up the crystal chalice from the table and pass it to Stacie as I say, "We shall begin by drinking the blood of the sisters who came before you."

"Uh-uh." Anna shakes her head. "Dude, I am not drinking anyone's blood."

"Don't worry." I hear Stacie whisper as she walks past Anna, heading towards the sopranos to start. "It's just red wine."

"Now, if you'll place your scarves in your right hand." Aubrey says from beside me.

The four all hold the yellow and blue scarves in their right hands.

"Repeat after me. 'I sing your name'."

"I Christina."

"I Halley."

"I Sarah."

"I Anna." All repeat together.

"Promise to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of a Bella woman." Chloe dictates.

"Promise to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of a Bella woman." They all say confidently except for Anna who looks a tad bit worried.

I laugh silently at the expression on her face, thinking I probably looked exactly the same last year at my initiation.

"And I solemnly promise to never have sexual relations with a Treblemaker, or may my vocal chords be ripped out by wolves." Aubrey says.

All four girls falter and stutter when they get to that part of the oath. "And I… solemnly promise to never have sexual relations with a Treblemaker… or may my vocal chords be ripped out… by wolves."

"You are all Bellas now." I say, smiling at them.

Christina, Sarah and Halley all squeal and jump up and down, hugging each other and the other Bellas excitedly.

I walk over to Anna, who seems very out of place. "What's up, midget?"

She quirks an eyebrow at me. "Says you?"

"Touche."

She sighs. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't have friends, I don't fit in with any groups…"

"Hey!" I cut her off suddenly. "I don't want to hear ay of that! Do I look like your typical a cappella girl?"

She shakes her head, looking at the ground.

"Look, I know how weird it is coming to college and joining a nerdy singing group, especially when you don't look like a nerdy singing girl, but I can promise you that you will fit in with the Bellas, because we're all a bit weird, but that's what makes us who we are. We get each other. Most of all, we accept each other."

Anna laughs humourlessly. "That's bullshit. No one accepts me."

I place my hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, we will. And if they don't… you've always got Jesse, Skylar and me."

"Oh brilliant, my three friends are the weirdos who work in a dingy old radio station. One of who doesn't like movies, and two of who are just outright nerds." She says sarcastically.

"What's up with you?" I ask her. "You weren't like this earlier."

She sighs again and I grab her arm, pulling her out of the basement and upstairs into the loungeroom.

"Sit." I command, pointing at the couch. Anna sits down and closes her eyes, leaning her head back on the soft cushions. "So, what's wrong?" I ask as I sit down beside her.

She bites her lip for a minute before talking to me, her eyes remaining closed. "It's just that I've got all of these photos of Mum when she went to college, and she was so happy. But I don't know what to do without her. And Aunty Jenny always said that I'd be fine and she'd help me settle in with life, but now she's gone too and it's just… urgh!" She says, pushing her palms into her eyes.

I do that sometimes when I get sick of all the shit going on. I press my hands into my eyes until I see all of the stars and beautiful colours swirling behind my eyelids.

"I didn't think it would be this hard, coming here." She mutters. "But I see her everywhere. I wanted to come here to make her proud, but I can't make her proud. I just can't do it."

"Anna honey, where is your Mum?"

Anna opens her eyes and tilts her head to look at me. "She died when I was 14, after suffering through leukaemia for three years."

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry." I say, feeling terrible for the girl beside me. "She came to Barden?"

"Yeah." She nods her head. "She met my twat of a father here."

"What do you mean by 'twat of a father'?"

"He's a fuckhead and I hate him. They had my older brother about a year after they met each other. He first got caught cheating on my Mum when I was four. She took him back because she wanted us to have both our parents around. Then he started hitting Mum and I when I was six. When I was nine my brother Oliver and I caught him with another woman. He kept hitting us until we promised not to tell Mum. I tried hiding from Mum for the rest of the night, but she came in to see why I hadn't come downstairs for dinner and saw all of the bruises on my face. Ollie had a black eye, but he'd told her he'd run into a tree on his skateboard. I didn't have a cover story and I just started crying. So then she packed a bag for Ollie and I and we all left. Three months later a very pregnant woman moved into our old house with him. Oliver hasn't spoken to him since we left, but after Mum died Dad suddenly took an interest in my life again. He tried to force me into going to Brown instead of here, but I told him to screw himself. So here I am, sans parents."

"That really sucks." I say. "And I thought my Dad was bad for just walking out on us… Jesus Christ, how did you cope?!"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I didn't. Why do you think I have this?" She turns her wrist over and points to the tattoo of the hand heart. Beneath the ink I can see the thin scars.

"Oh Anna…" I whisper gently running my fingers over her wrist.

I don't have a chance to say any more, however, as the other 12 girls walk upstairs from the basement. Immediately, Anna pulls her arm out of my hold, and I clasp my hands together in my lap. Aubrey, who is the first person to emerge from the basement, catches our quick pull-apart from each other and quirks a questioning eyebrow at me. I give my head a minute shake and she gives a small nod back, accepting my refusal to explain this to her. Since Finals last year, Aubrey and I have come to a mutual respect for each other. And, after inviting her to come and help with selections for the Bellas, as well as helping with our sets this year, she almost seems to like me. I, for my part, really don't mind the tall blonde that much, so long as she doesn't try to take over and undermine my role as leader.

"Chloe and I are going to go home now." Aubrey says when everyone is in the spacious lounge room. "Just text us when you'd like us to come and help with anything."

I nod my head, standing up and hugging both girls.

"We'll probably just drop by occasionally, too!" Chloe adds.

"Ok, just no bursting in on me in the shower." I say firmly.

"Oh come on, Becs! You can't deny that it was amazing!" Chloe exclaims. "If it weren't for me making you sing then, you and Jesse never would have gotten together! I am the reason for your love life!"

I just laugh at Chloe, letting her have her moment, before she links her arm through Aubrey's and the pair walk out of the house.

"Ok nerds!" I say to my Bellas. "The party is at the pool this year!"

"Yes!" Fat Amy fist pumps the air. "It's gonna go down tonight!"

We all laugh at her enthusiasm as she turns and runs to her room to get changed.

"So, you four," I point to Christina, Sarah, Halley and Anna, "Can go back to your rooms and get changed. Meet us back here and then we'll go to the pool. Oh, and you might want to bring a towel."

They all nod their heads. Anna stands up from the couch to follow the other three newbies out the front door, as the other Bellas go to their rooms to change, but I call out to her.

"Anna, can I talk to you for a minute?"

She freezes a few steps away from the door and turns slowly to look at me, a closed look on her face.

"Don't worry, it's not about… that." I say and immediately her face opens slightly, but she still looks a bit worried about what I want to talk to her about. "Follow me." I say as I walk up the stairs and head into my bedroom.

* * *

Anna's POV

I follow Beca up the stairs and into the large bedroom at the end of the hallway. She is already sitting on the bed, cross-legged, when I enter the room. I spin the swivel chair at the desk so it is facing Beca and cautiously sit down.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" I ask slowly.

"Are you willing to start your training to be my protégée tonight?" She asks, smirking at me.

"Sure." I grin back at her, suddenly feeling much more at ease. "What do you want me to do?"

Beca tells me about her plan and I nod excitedly at the prospect.

"Let's do it!" I exclaim ten minutes after we'd entered her room.

"This'll be a message for everyone: don't mess with the midgets!" Beca says as she gives me a high-five.

"By the end of the night, every person involved in Barden a-Cappella will be shit scared of us!"

"Oh yeah…" Beca agrees, nodding her head. "Hey, if you go and wait downstairs for a minute or so, I can drive you over to Baker Hall to get your stuff."

"Ok!" I nod my head and turn to walk out of the room, but Beca's voice stops me.

"Anna? You and I are more alike than you know. I've got your back."

I smile softly at her over my shoulder before I walk out of her room and close the door, heading back downstairs to the couch.

Two minutes later, Beca jumps in front of me, wearing a long sleeve grey top and denim shorts. "Let's go, junior!"

I laugh and she pulls me up off the couch, leading me out the front door to her car.

She turns the key and the car fires up as she slides a disc into the CD player and we start singing along to Taylor Swift's RED album.

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo... I hope that was ok. Beca and Anna's plan is revealed in the next chapter! Just to give you a bit of a hint, they kind of pick on Jesse :p**

**Review away, my dear weirdos!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prewarning you that there is a long author's note ahead! What do you think of my cover for the story? In case you were wondering, Anna looks like Teresa Palmer from **_**I Am Number Four**_** (but shorter), and Skylar looks like Liam Payne! Ok so, I will try to post one or two chapters per week, depending on school and work commitments. Don't hate me if I don't have the chance to update some weeks though! There will hopefully be two updates this week! Thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and / or favourited this story, it means heaps to me!**

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**I have a few special shoutouts to give to my reviewers:**

**gossipsweetlips:**** Thank you for reviewing the first two chapters, it means a lot! You are already my favourite reader and reviewer! Hope I can keep you entertained! I love mini Beca and mini Jesse too :)**

**Anaeira (Guest):**** Thank you! I love love love you! Thank you for proudly being here from the start! Your review made me smile so incredibly much!**

**yingyangchick245:**** Thank you, and I am sure you would be able to write a story like this if you put your mind to it! Besides, your story is great anyways! I'm glad you love this story so much; hope I don't disappoint!**

**xoxosmurf:**** Funny (note sarcasm). You think I don't know who you are? I'm not stupid! But thanks for reading it for me!**

**wisegirl171301:****Thanks!**

**HHer-PitchSlap-HOA:**** Thanks! Oh I wonder where you got that information from, Miss Back To December :p but thanks for reading it for me :D**

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**Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing is mine :( but you already knew that.**

* * *

**Beca's POV**

Stacie and Amy lead the group of now 12 Bellas down to the Initiation party which is at the pool this year. Anna and I are the only Bellas who are wearing clothes, and our arms are piled high with towels for the other girls. I know Jesse will see me and try to throw me into the pool fully dressed, so I have a bikini on underneath my clothes and Anna is carrying a bag with spare clothes in it for me so Jesse will think I'm not prepared for his attack. Anna also has a bikini on underneath her jacket and ripped denim shorts. We walk into the huge pool room and sure enough all of the Trebles are already there. Stacie is the first one in the water, immediately going and locking lips with Donald. The others follow soon after, some climbing down the ladder, others just jumping straight in from the edge. Anna and I place the towels down on a bench as we take our shoes off and then sit on the edge of the pool, our toes dangling in the water.

"BECAW!" I hear Jesse's loud, obnoxious voice and roll my eyes.

"Really? You're drunk already?"

"I'm not drunk. There's just two of you." He pauses and looks at Anna. "Oh wait, that's just Anna. So no, I am not drunk at all."

"You know, it's dangerous to be in a pool while you're drunk." I state. "You could drown."

"You'll save me, Becs." He responds.

"Mmm no, not if you're as intoxicated as you are. Someone else can give you mouth to mouth."

I hear another obnoxiously loud voice. "PINT!"

"Oh god." Anna sighs and I see Skylar swimming towards us.

"Pint?" I ask Anna curiously.

"Yes, because apparently I'm pintsized." She looks at me before looking down at Skylar. "You know my name now, jerk. I thought you were only going to call me that until you found out my name."

"Mmm I was. But then I decided 'Pint' suits you better than 'Anna'."

"Wow, you're really drunk right now, aren't you? I don't think you're going to remember any of this." She questions him and I laugh, thinking how they are the exact words I said to Jesse this time last year.

"I'm not drunk, and I could never forget anything that involves you." He responds, making both Anna and I roll our eyes at him.

"I'm going to get you a drink." He says to Anna, and then looks up at me. "And I'm going to get you a drink, too. I think you both need to get on this level."

"Sounds great." Anna responds.

Skylar swims to the other end of the pool where the beer barrels are set up.

Jesse pulls himself out of the pool and sits beside me for a minute, looking at my clothes. "Only you, Beca Mitchell, would wear clothes to a pool party."

"Anna is too." I state.

"Yes, but Anna is your protégée." He responds. You are training her in the ways of how to be a killjoy."

"Shut up!" I elbow him in the stomach.

"Oh, that's it Mitchell! First you wear clothes to a pool party, and then you physically abuse me. You will pay for your mistakes." Jesse says as he stands up beside me.

I see Anna stand up on the other side of me, smirking, and she walks back to the bench where the towels and bag of my clothes are. Jesse picks me up and I wrap my arms around his neck in a vicelike grip.

"Don't even think about it." I growl at him.

He grins down at me. "Never do."

I unwrap my arms from Jesse's neck just as he tosses me into the water. Even though I knew it was coming, I still scream as I hit the water. I come up glaring at him.

"Fuck you, Jesse Swanson!" I yell at him and smirk at Anna who has now stripped down to her purple bikini. She walks up to stand a few metres behind Jesse without him noticing her. I grin at my boyfriend. "I'm still smarter than you, though."

I pull my wet top over my head and take my denim shorts off. I swim over to the edge of the pool, as it's too deep for me to be able to touch the bottom. I swing my dripping top at Jesse, smacking it around his side with a loud 'slap'.

"You little bitch!" He shrieks at me.

Right at that moment, Anna begins running towards Jesse and launches herself onto his back as I swim a few metres to the side of Jesse's position. Due to both the force of Anna flying onto his back and the effects of the alcohol he has consumed, he stumbles forward and face-plants into the pool, his arms flailing. As soon as they hit the water Anna swims over to me and we both tread water, slowly backing away from Jesse as I throw my soaked clothes onto the edge of the pool.

"THAT SHOULD BE A LESSON TO EVERYONE!" I exclaim. "DON'T MESS WITH THE SHORT-ASSES!"

Without coming up for a breath, Jesse begins swimming straight towards us.

"Oh shit…" Anna says slowly as Jesse grabs us by the ankles. I have just enough time to take a big breath of air before he pulls us both under the water until our feet are touching the bottom of the pool, at which point he releases our ankles and holds us down by our shoulders. Anna flips him off and I laugh. Jesse laughs, too, and lets us go. Anna and I push off from the bottom of the pool and rocket up to the surface. Jesse – who can just touch the bottom and still have his head above the water – lifts me onto his shoulders.

"Put me down!" I yell at him as I whack him around the back of the head.

"What's the magic word?" He presses.

"Jesse, if you do not put me down this instant, I will not watch any more of those stupid movies with you." I threaten and immediately he throws me back into the water. I come up and splash water at him aggressively. "I meant to put me down gently, nerd!"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Well then I suggest you be a bit more specific next time, badass."

I glare at him, only to receive a goofy grin and his sparkling eyes, and I can't help but smile at him.

At that moment Skylar comes back over to us, managing to carry four cups of alcohol.

* * *

**Anna's POV**

Skylar hands Jesse and Beca each a plastic cup. Jesse puts it to his mouth, taking a drink of the alcohol. Beca, on the other hand, just holds her drink and watches Jesse with amusement sparkling in her eyes. Skylar then turns and hands me a cup.

"Thanks." I say sarcastically.

He grins at me. "So what's your deal anyway? Are you one of those girls who hides her true beauty behind a pair of glasses and tattoos?"

"I don't wear glasses." I state.

"Then you're halfway there." I see Jesse whisper not-so-quietly to Beca, who nods her head and says something into his ear.

"Well then, you're halfway to revealing your beauty to the world." Skylar says.

I feel the corners of my mouth twitch upwards into a small smile. Skylar smiles happily at me and I roll my eyes at him.

"Let's have a handstand competition!" He exclaims out of nowhere.

"Really?" I question.

"Yes!"

"Fine, but we have to go to the shallower end so I can actually touch the bottom."

"I think it's adorable that you can't touch." He says as he wraps an arm around my stomach and pulls me through the water to the shallower end of the pool.

"I can actually swim, you know. You didn't have to drag me here." I point out.

"Ah, but you have a drink which I didn't want you to spill."

"Oh how chivalrous of you." I say sarcastically.

"Yes, that's what I thought too." Skylar goes to take the drink from me, but I hold my hand up to him and throw the last few mouthfuls back quickly. I then hand him the now empty cup, which he places on the edge of the pool.

"Halley!" I call out to the girl standing not far away from us in the water.

She turns around to me. "Yeah?"

"We're having a handstand competition. Can you be the judge?"

"Sure can!" She exclaims, walking towards us. "Ready?" She asks us and we both nod our heads. "Ok, go on three. One, two… three!"

Skylar and I both dive down into the water until our hands are flat on the bottom. I look over at him and see him struggling to stay vertical. I look back down at the bottom of the pool and count in my head. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…" I count to twelve before I see Skylar fall over and go up for air. I get to 47 before I need to go up to breathe, so I bend my elbows and allow myself to flatten out so my chest is almost to the ground before I push off and come up for air.

"How did you do that?!" Skylar exclaims.

"What?" I question.

"Stay straight for so long?"

I shrug my shoulders, "I did gymnastics until I was 15. And I was in the swim team right through high school."

Skylar's mouth drops open. "Can you do it again?!"

"I guess…" I say slowly, confused as to why he is so enthralled by the fact that I can do underwater handstands for so long.

"I bet I can do better than you." Beca challenges, coming up beside me.

I quirk an eyebrow at her. "You're on."

We both look expectantly at Halley. "Ok, on three again. "One, two…" Both Beca and I go under the water before Halley even says three.

I watch Beca and Beca watches me, both eyeing each other off. I feel something push on my leg closest to Beca and know she's trying to knock me off balance. I walk closer to her on my hands and bump my hip into hers, just hard enough to make her wobble but not completely lose her balance.

Beca narrows her eyes at me and I grin. Ok, so maybe joining the Bellas wasn't such a bad idea. I hadn't really planned on auditioning, it was just a spur of the moment decision after Fat Amy had heard me singing _Don't You Worry Child_ by Swedish House Mafia in the shower and practically pounced on me when I got out, telling me I should join their a cappella group so that Beca didn't feel lonely in her 'munchkin-ness', as Amy had worded it. I hadn't been planning on taking Amy's advice and actually going, but then I had thought 'what the hell? Why not? It's not like I can be any more of a loner, anyway'. Maybe I can make some real friends here, the most obvious one at the moment being Beca.

My lungs are burning with the need for oxygen, but I am way too stubborn to let Beca win, and she is too stubborn to let me win. Finally, Beca gives in and goes up for air. As soon as her head breaks the surface of the water, I go up too.

Beca is gasping for air, Jesse rubbing her back softly. I, in my desperate need for air, take a big breath before my head is fully out of the water, and choke on the chlorine laced pool water. I splutter, desperately needing to actually be able to breathe. Skylar sees me struggling and comes over to me, pulling me up against his body and lifting me up so my head is resting on my shoulder as he gently rubs my back. I wrap my arms around his neck and continue coughing. Finally I manage to cough all of the water out of my air-pipe and all but collapse against Skylar in exhaustion.

"How long?" I ask no one in particular, wanting to know how long I was under the water.

"One minute and 22 seconds." Halley responds.

"Holy fuck…" I say. The longest I've ever been under before was 57 seconds.

"Damn Shawshank, you can hold your breath!" Amy exclaims, looking at Beca, who can now breathe semi-normally again.

"Good lord, that was not my best idea in the world…" Beca says.

"You are both way too stubborn and competitive for your own good." Jesse says to us.

"That was the hottest thing I have ever seen." Skylar says and I groan at him, letting my head flop onto his shoulder.

"Really? I could have died down there, and you think it was _hot_?!"

"I wouldn't have let you drown. Both Jesse and I were actually ready to drag you guys up and make you breathe."

"Oh…" I am unsure of what else I can say to that revelation.

"Never again," Beca says to me, "Are we going to ever try to compete with each other, Junior. Never. We will die before letting each other win."

I nod slowly in agreement. "That's fine by me."

"Oh my god…" Beca says, her eyes focussing on something above my head as she listens intently to something. "This song…"

I then try to focus on the song and recognise it as _Cups_ by Anna Kendrick. "I love this song!"

"You know it?" Beca asks me.

I nod my head excitedly. "Duh! Have I been living under a rock for the last 12 months?"

* * *

**Beca's POV**

I laugh at Anna and grab her hand, dragging her out of Skylar's arms and over to the edge of the pool. We both hoist ourselves up onto the edge and I grab two empty cups, tossing one at her.

"Hey Uni!" I call out to Unicycle, who is closest to the laptop at the moment. "Can you start the song again?!"

"Aye-aye Captain!" Uni salutes me and turns to the laptop, starting this song again.

Anna, sitting opposite me, positions her hands above the cup, ready to start clapping with the music. At the exact same moment, we both clap our hands twice and tap on the cup.

"_I got my ticket for the long way round_

_Two bottles of whiskey for the way_

_And I sure would like some sweet company_

_And I'm leaving tomorrow, what do you say?_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me by my hair_

_You're gonna miss me everywhere_

_Oh I know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_I got my ticket for the long way round_

_The one with the prettiest of views_

_It's got mountains, it's got rivers_

_It's got sights to give you shivers_

_But it sure would be prettier with you_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me by my walk_

_You're gonna miss me by my talk_

_Oh you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."_

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**A/N: Thank you so much for continuing to read this! Oh, by the way these are Beca's and Anna's outfits / bikinis:**

**Beca: **wwwdotpolyvoredotcom/youre_coming_with_me_becas/se t?id=96200329

**Anna:** wwwdotpolyovredotcom/youre_coming_with_me_annas/se t?id=96197755

**I have to put 'dot' instead of '.' in the web addresses because it won't show the full web address :( Oh, and I will be giving shoutouts / responses to my lovely reviewers at the beginning of each chapter, from now on (assuming I don't forget).**

**Feel free to review, favourite or follow! :D**

**Love you awesome nerds!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I would really like to have at least 17 reviews on this story by the time I update (early next week)! Thanks, as always, to those who reviewed the previous chapter!**

**Dancerchamp22: ****Thank you, I will definitely keep writing this story, don't worry!**

**keykeybaby6:**** Thank you so much!**

**gossipsweetlips:**** Haha yeah thank you! I like drunk Jesse. I think Jesse is going to be drunk a few times in this story :p yeah, I absolutely loved writing the pool scene, it's been my favourite part so far! Don't worry, Skylar and Anna won't dance around each other for the whole year, but there will be plenty of conflict when they finally do get together! A double date is definitely a possibility :p**

**yingyangchick245:**** Thanks! Drunk Jesse = my life is complete :p Thanks! Yeah, don't worry, Amy, Stacie and probably Halley will be making regular appearances just to shake things up and break up the fluffiness of the story :p**

**SwiftPayneCastleBeale:**** Funny. Thanks hun! You're the Chloe to my Beca :p**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, yada yada yada :(**

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**Beca's POV**

We walk towards the amphitheatre, everyone now at least semi-dressed. There are a few Bellas wearing only a pair of shorts and their bikini tops, and some Trebles wearing shorts and no top, but for the most part we were all acceptably clothed. Anna and I are, of course, the only girls wearing jackets, which Skylar and Jesse are repeatedly pointing out to us. After one too many of his comments, I whirl around to Jesse, making him, Skylar and Anna all stop. Fat Amy, Stacey, Donald and Uni all stop as well to see what's going on.

"How many times have you had sex with me?!" I say to Jesse.

He holds up two fingers. "Twiiiiiiice."

"That's right. Only twice. Now, if you ever want to get lucky for a third time, you will not say anything about the clothes that Anna and I are wearing for the rest of the night. Understood?"

He nods his head meekly at me.

"Go Shawshank! Lay down the law!" Amy screams and I glare at her, silencing her shouts.

I turn on my heel and begin walking away from the boys. I grab Anna's wrist and tug her with me.

"That… was… brilliant!" Anna managed to get out between bouts of laughing hysterically when we were out of the boys' earshot.

"Thank you. If anyone ever pisses you off, just come to me. I'll get them to fuck of, one way or another."

A guy from the Harmonics sets up the laptop and speakers quickly and a familiar song begins playing. Being slightly tipsy and have little inhibitions left in my system, I grab Anna's hands and begin dancing with her as we sing.

_"Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago_

_I was in your sights, you got me alone_

_You found me, you found me_

_You found me-e-e-e-e_

_I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that_

_And when I fell hard, you took a step back_

_Without me, without me_

_Without me-e-e-e-e-eeee_

_And he's long gone when he's next to me_

_And I realise the blame is on me_

_Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in_

_So shame on me now_

_Flew me to places I've never been_

_Til you put me down_

_Oh I knew you were trouble when you walked in_

_So shame on me now_

_Flew me to places I've never been_

_Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground!_

_Oh, oh trouble, trouble, trouble!_

_Oh, oh trouble, trouble, trouble!_

_No apologies, he'll never see you cry_

_Pretends he doesn't know that he's the reason why_

_You're drowning, you're drowing_

_You're drowning-ing-ing-ing-ing…"_

* * *

I have my head leaning on Jesse's shoulder as we both watch Skylar and Anna, sitting a few rows in front of us, talking intimately. The sad thing is, I think she's only opening up to him now because a: she's drunk and has only let her walls down because of that, and b: he's drunk so he probably won't remember any of what she tells him tonight.

"You know," I say to Jesse, "I did that at Hood Night last year. I bet you can't remember it."

Jesse looks at me, very confused. "Did what? The last thing I remember from that night is bringing you a drink and screaming 'We are the kings of campus!' what else did we do?"

I usher to Anna and Skylar. "We sat down and talked. I told you everything. I told you about my parents divorce, and how their marriage had tainted my view on love. I told you that that's why I don't trust people; that's why I push people away. That's why it hurt so much when you asked me why I pushed away anyone who could possibly care about me. You saying that hurt more than you saying you were done with us, it hurt more than you slamming the door in my face. I'd let my walls down and shown you why I was me, but you couldn't remember any of it."

"Oh my god…" He whispers. "Becs… why didn't you tell me before now?"

I shrug my shoulders. "What's past is past. Don't beat yourself up over it, nerd." I say, gently nudging him in the ribs.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbles into my hair.

I smile softly at him. "You know, you probably won't remember this conversation in the morning, either."

"I'm not as drunk this year as I was last year!" He protests indignantly.

I chuckle at him. "Yeah, whatever you say."

* * *

**Anna's POV**

"So why are you so… against letting people past that scary, I-can-totally-kick-your-ass exterior? What made you get tattoos and a pierced bellybutton and a nose ring and those?" He says, pointing to the five earrings in the top of my right ear.

"It's a long story…" I sigh.

"We've got all night." We persists, wrapping his arm around my back.

"Ok, well... I started getting my tattoos and piercings after Aunt Jenny died two years ago. I mean, I already had my bellybutton and nose done by then, but the tattoos and other earrings came after she died. I kind of got them all to scare people off, I guess. I didn't want to let anyone get close to me, because everyone that I love… they've all left me. My dad is a fuckhead and cheated on my Mum and abused her, my brother and I. My Mum died from leukaemia when I was 14. My Aunt died a year and a half after Mum in a car crash. After Aunt Jenny died, Oliver took off and I haven't seen him since. My first and only boyfriend cheated on me with the person I thought was my best friend. So I just don't want to run the risk of getting hurt again, because I don't think I could handle someone else leaving me."

"Whoa…" He says slowly, his eyes wide open in shock. "That's some pretty heavy stuff."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I laugh humourlessly. "But you know, I'm over all of that shit. What's past is past, and all that."

"Clearly you're not over it, because you still don't let people past those incredibly high walls around your heart."

"I'm letting you in now, aren't I?"

"Huh. Good point." He nods his head in agreement, before changing subject awfully quickly. "So what do you think of Jeca?"

"Jeca?" I question, confused.

"Yeah, Jesse and Beca. I've decided that's their shipper name. Like how that guy from One Direction and Taylor Swift were called Haylor."

"Seriously?" I question and he bobs his head excitedly. "You are such a nerd!"

"Maybe, but Jesse's nerdier than me and he got his girl in the end."

I shake my head at him and roll my eyes.

"What could our shipper name be?" He asks suddenly and my head jerks up to look at him.

Well that escalated quickly.

"Hmmmm… Skanna…" He thinks out loud. "Annlar…"

"Skyna." I pipe up and clamp my hand over my mouth, unable to believe that I actually just said that.

"Skyna. I like it." Skylar states happily, before lifting the hem of my jacket and top up.

"DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I exclaim, pulling my clothes back down.

"I want to see your tattoos." He says simply.

"So what, you just invite yourself to lift my shirt up?!"

"Why not?"

"There are these things called personal space and common courtesy. Ever heard of them before?" I say sarcastically.

"Yeah, Rach is always nagging me about that shit."

"Who's that?" I wonder, getting distracted by the girl's name.

"My older sister. She was a Bella, just like you!" He exclaims, before his hands slink back down to the hem of my top. "So, can I have a look at your tattoos?"

"Fine, but I am lifting my own top up!"

"Okie dokie, if you're worried you won't be able to control yourself while I lift your shirt, you can do it yourself."

I roll my eyes at him. "It's not me I'm worried about."

"I have wonderful self control, thank you very much!"

"You just tried to lift my top!"

"Because I was curious to see your tattoos!"

"We've just spent the last two hours in a pool together. You would have been able to see them then."

"The water was obstructing my view."

"Stop arguing and just have sex already!" Stacey yells at us.

I blush and look down, suddenly finding my knees very interesting.

"Pleeeeeeease can I see your tattoos?" Skylar whines.

"You're not gonna drop this, are you?"

"Nope." He shakes his head and pops the 'p'.

"Fine." I huff out in defeat and lift my top up just enough so that he can see the angel wings on my left hip bone.

"Who are they for?" He asks, gently running the tip of his index finer over the ink.

"One is for my Mum, the other is for Aunt Jenny." I answer. I swivel so my back is to him and pull my top up a bit further so he can read the writing along my back. 'All good things come to an end'.

"That's not true." He states.

"Yes it is. At least, it is for me." I pull the back of my top down and take my jacket off, throwing it into Skylar's lap, before I push down the back of my t-shirt neck, revealing the five figures on my right shoulder blade and the cursive writing beneath them. Michael, John, Wendy, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbelle are the figures and the writing says 'Straight on til morning'.

"I like this one." Skylar says. "But why have you got this one? I mean, the others have meaning to you, but this one seems kind of random. No offence."

"I've just always loved Peter Pan, and I wanted something to remind me of my childhood and show that life isn't always shit."

I show him the rose on my other shoulder, with some of its petals falling off. He doesn't say anything about that one, so I take my jacket back from him and pull it on, before pushing the left sleeve up slightly to show the small words, 'Faith, trust, pixie dust'.

"Peter Pan?" He questions.

I nod my head. "Yeah."

"So why do you love Peter Pan so much?"

"My Mum would always read it to me, at least once a week. It was my favourite bedtime story. I knew it off by heart by the time I was eight, and would say the words while Mum read them to me."

"That is so cute!" He exclaims and I glare when he uses the word 'cute'.

I don't show him the tattoo on my right wrist, because even though I told him about my shit-ass family life, I really don't want him to see the scars below that tattoo and know how messed up I am.

"And these ones…" I point to the small love heart on my left foot near my pinkie toe and the butterfly on my left ankle, "I got just because I wanted to."

He laughs at me. "Fair enough."

"So, that's me. Now tell me about your life." I say.

"Um… Well, my half-sister Rachel is my Dad's daughter from his first marriage. She's 26. Then there's me. Then there's Rory and Logan who are twins. They're14. And Alex is 10. I'm glad I have Alex, even though he is little, otherwise I would be completely ruled by females. Except for Dad, but the girls scare him too much for him to stand up to them."

"Wait… Rory and Logan are girls?!" I exclaim.

"Ummm yeah…" He says slowly.

"Your parents are really weird at choosing names. Skylar is a girl's name, but they called their son that. Rory and Logan are boy's names, but they called their daughters that. Alex and Rachel are the only sensibly named ones!"

"Skylar is not a girl's name!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Name one guy, other than you, who is called Skylar." I challenge.

"Ummm… there's this actor guy called Skylar Astin, I think." He says.

"That's it? The only person you can think of is some celebrity? Good effort." I say sarcastically.

"Alright then, how many famous people are called Anna?" He retaliates.

"Well there's Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Anna Paquin, Anna-Sophia Robb, Anna Faris, Anna Levine, Anna Gunn…" I trail off. "Yeah, that's all I've got at the moment."

"COME ON YOU STICKS!" Fat Amy screams suddenly, standing on one of the concrete benches. "TREBLES AND BELLAS, PARTY AT MY PLACE!"

"Let's go!" Skylar jumps up and pulls me with him.

I roll my eyes but let Skylar drag me away with him, anyway. As we walk up the path, I see Beca and Jesse a bit ahead of us. They must have been sitting a few rows behind Skylar and I. As I watch them, Jesse stops walking and Beca jumps onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly.

* * *

** Beca's POV**

Amy turns around and sees me on Jesse's back and grins as an idea forms in her head.

She gets those who are walking ahead of her to stop and we wait for everyone else to catch up.

"Ok guys! Shawshank and Movieboy gave me an idea! There are 12 Trebles and 12 Bellas, right?" She looks at Jesse and I for confirmation and we both nod in agreement. "Ok, so we're going to have a piggy-back race! Pair up, twig bitches!"

I stay perched on Jesse's back, resting my chin on his shoulder. "I swear to God if we don't win this race…"

"Don't worry hun, I am built for both speed and stamina." He says.

I laugh at his comment before purring in his ear. "Prove it."

I feel his hands tighten around my thighs and bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing at his reaction. I watch everyone climb onto each other's backs. Stacie jumps on Donald's back, needing no further encouragement. Lilly gets on Benji's back, Halley on Kolio's, Cynthia Rose on Hat's, and Jessica on Uni's. The others all pair up quickly, too. I laugh as Amy grabs a new Treble and throws him over her shoulder. "You're with me, Fresh Blood!"

I watch Skylar give Anna puppy dog eyes and pout slightly at her until she sighs and jumps onto his back, wrapping her legs tightly around his hips and her arms over his shoulders. We all line up, facing the direction of our house.

"Ok, rules…" Fat Amy says to us. "There are none. You can take shortcuts, you can sabotage each other, you can cheat. GO!" Amy screams and takes off at her waddling run, the poor new Treble holding onto her for dear life.

* * *

**There you have it folks! I think the next chapter will be in third person POV so I can show what is happening for everyone in the race and at the Bellas afterparty, because there will be a lot going on that I won't be able to show from Beca or Anna's POVs! I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!**

**Until next time, nerds!**


	5. Characters

**OK so this isn't an actual chapter, it's a list of the Bellas and Trebles. They are all in line with their piggy back partners. The second lot is who's rooming with who in their respective houses :D I've also put visual aids with the new members :D**

* * *

**Piggy back race pairs:**

**Bellas; Trebles:**

Beca; Jesse

Anna – Teresa Palmer; Skylar – Liam Payne

Stacie; Donald

Fat Amy; Mateo (new) – Callan McAuliffe

Lilly; Benji

Cynthia Rose; Hat

Jessica; Uni

Denise; Greg

Ashley; Steven

Christina (new) – Perrie Edwards 2012; Adam (new) – Logan Lerman

Sarah (new) – Danielle Campbell; Brian (new) – Niall Horan

Halley (new) – Britt Robertson; Kolio

* * *

**Rooms:**

**Bella House**

Beca (master)

Anna x Stacie

Fat Amy x Lilly x Denise

Jessica x Halley

Cynthia Rose x Christina

Ashley x Sarah

**Treble House**

Jesse (master)

Donald x Benji

Skylar x Mateo

Kolio x Hat

Uni x Greg x Adam

Brian x Steven

* * *

**An actual update should come within the next two days :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**So this is the next chapter! The piggy back race is completed and a bit of a teaser for the after party at the Bella house :p Hope you enjoy it ;)**

**Sk (guest):**** Thanks! Yes, I'm always intrigued when people or characters tell the stories behind their tattoos!**

**gossipsweetlips:**** Thanks! I thought it would be an interesting twist if Beca had told Jesse about her life at the last Hood night. Hope I did that little bit justice! Well alcohol and Spin The Bottle are involved so… hook ups are a possibility :p I know, Fat Amy allows me to release my inner child :p**

**wisegirl71301:**** Thank you :)  
**

**Anaeira (guest):**** Thank you! Yes, I wanted the relationships to mirror each other but not be exactly the same! Thanks again!**

**Guest: Thanks!**

**Alanasilver (guest):**** Haha I will, don't worry!**

**Dancerchamp22: Thanks! My friends and I give each other piggy backs all the time, and I thought a drunken piggy back race would be funny :p**

**yingyangchick245:**** Hahahaha thank you! I'm glad you thought it was funny :D Thanks! No, I actually really appreciate your ideas; I can always count on you to give me lightbulb moments if I'm stuck! Actually, that's a really good idea, I think I'll use that! (As in Skylar and Anna be related to Anna Kendrick and Skylar Astin?) Thanks, will do :)  
**

**SwiftPayneCastleBeale:**** You're such a weirdo. Thanks, I try :p**

** .792:**** Thank youuuuuu! I will :D**

**ballpointmf:**** Thanks, will do!**

**HHer-PitchSlap-HOA: ****Here's what happens next :p**

**Disclaimer: Sadly it's not mine :(**

* * *

**Third person POV**

Fat Amy begins waddling off before she even says "Go!"

The eleven other pairs all take off after her, the boys going as fast as they can, the girls clinging on and laughing with adrenaline. They all know how childish it is for them to be getting so excited over a piggy-back race, but… they're drunk and really couldn't care less about other, sober college goers judging them.

Beca whispers something in Jesse's ear and he turns off the road, running across the grass.

"Follow them!" Anna hisses to Skylar, pointing to Jesse and Beca. "She'll know how to get there quicker!"

Skylar swerves off the road, following the couple.

Behind them, they don't see the chaos occurring.

Donald quickly takes up the lead on the road, Stacie wrapping her long legs tightly around him. Benji, with Lilly on his back, quickly realises that having a race on the actual road is dangerous and runs onto the grass alongside the road. When they see Benji running on the grass, most of the other pairs take up his safety precaution and also choose to race on the softer grass rather than the more unforgiving bitumen of the road. Uni, with Jess on his back, charges into Kolio's side, sending Kolio and Halley toppling over and almost colliding with a tree. Jessica laughs and urges Uni on. He places his unicycle, which he has been carrying in one hand, on the ground.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Jess screeches, bashing on Uni's back.

Her pleading does not change the guy's drunken decisions, and he climbs onto his unicycle, wobbling slightly as he tries to adjust to balancing both himself and Jess on the single wheel.

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING KILL US!" Jess screams as she wraps her arms tightly around Uni's neck.

Stacie looks over her shoulder and sees the chaos behind them as everyone tries to trip each other over. She sees Halley and Kolio standing and brushing the grass off themselves as they both scream curse words at Uni, who is wobbling awfully precariously on his unicycle with Jessica. Cynthia Rose and Hat seem to have a system of tripping or pushing everyone over who gets in their way. Fat Amy is bowling everyone over and very possibly crushing them. The only people who appear to be safely racing are themselves and Benji and Lilly.

"Where are Beca and Jesse?!" She says to Donald.

"I don't know." Donald says. "Is there a hidden passage or something?"

Stacie shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. But, she probably knows some good shortcuts, seeing as she doesn't get out of bed until ten minutes before she needs to be at class."

"They're probably gonna get back way before the rest of us and get a quickie in." Donald says and Stacie nods in agreement. "Speaking of a quickie…" She looks over her shoulder and sees that they are way ahead of the others. Donald is really fit. She's impressed. Not surprised, but definitely impressed.

"Mmmm baby. We've got all night." Donald says, but slows down as Stacie slides down off his back and moves to stand in front of him.

Stacie drapes her arms over his shoulders and kisses him passionately, rolling her hips against his.

Benji and Lilly run past the couple heavily making out, without disrupting them. Amy and Mateo, the new Treble on her back, however charge towards Stacie and Donald, having just bowled Hat and Cynthia Rose over. The leggy brunette rips Donald's top off and begins to run her hands along his toned chest and abs.

"INDECENT EXPOSURE!" Amy screams as she runs straight into Stacie and Donald, sending them flying.

"FUCKING BITCH!" Stacie shouts, jumping up and running after Amy. It's not hard for Stacie to catch up with the large Australian, even though she runs carefully whilst holding her breasts to stop them from bouncing around too much. "I'LL GIVE YOU INDECENT EXPOSURE!"

Fat Amy stops running and turns to Stacie. Mateo quickly scrambles down off her back and slowly edges away from the two women, now circling each other.

Lilly looks over her shoulder and sees Stacie and Fat Amy facing off, encircled by most of the Bellas and Trebles. "Someone's gonna die tonight." She whispers.

* * *

**Anna's POV**

Skylar darts after Jesse and Beca, staying just far enough behind them so that they won't hear us, but close enough so that when we see the Bella house he can sprint and beat them.

His fingers begin tapping a precise pattern on my leg.

"What are you doing?" I whisper in his ear, feeling curious but not violated by his touch on my skin.

"Oh sorry. It's just a piano piece. I play piano everywhere, even when there's not one around." He apologises and his fingers stop their movements.

"No, it's ok. You don't have to stop. I didn't know you played piano." I say and almost immediately his fingers start their gently rhythm again.

He throws a cocky grin at me over his shoulder. "I'm full of surprises. And I am very, very musically gifted."

"Oh yeah? Well I play piano and guitar. Now who's musically gifted?" I smirk at him.

"I can play piano, guitar and trumpet."

"I used to play the flute as well. And I know how to play a bit of saxophone, violin and trombone."

"Show off." He grumbles.

I won't mention the fact that I only played sax, violin and trombone each for only two weeks as part of my school music class in freshman year of high school.

* * *

**Beca's POV**

"Hurry up!" I hiss in Jesse's ear. "I thought you said you were fast."

"I am fast, I'm just saving my energy for the final sprint to the door. How much further is it, anyway?" He whines.

I laugh at him and press a soft kiss to the back of his neck. He really is such a child sometimes. "Not far now. About another 300 metres or so."

"Urgh but Beca… that's so far away! We could just stop here and have our own little party." He says suggestively.

"No. Focus on winning this freaking race, Romeo!"

"Fine." He huffs out a sigh and begins running just that little bit quicker and I grin in triumph.

* * *

**Third Person POV**

Lilly and Benji are ahead of the main group, as they didn't allow Amy and Stacie's little bitch fight to distract them from their aim: to win the race.

"You're doing great, Benji." Lilly encourages as she feels the young man slowing. "Look! The house is just up there! Keep going! We can steal Amy's stash of chocolate and alcohol before she gets back!"

Benji has to laugh at Lilly's antics, even if sometimes she does seem slightly psychotic. She is a lovely, sweet girl.

Benji makes his way up the five stairs leading to the Bellas' veranda and front door, slamming his hand against the wood in pride as he sees they are indeed the first people there.

"Good job." Lilly says quietly as she slides off his back. Benji has come to the realisation that it's far easier to try and read Lilly's lips instead of actually strain his ears to hear her impossibly quiet words.

"Thank you!" Benji exclaims happily, wrapping his arms around her small frame.

Back down the street, Stacie is lying squashed underneath Amy, groaning in pain.

"I think you broke my boobs." Stacie states.

"No she didn't. Boobs don't have bones, therefore they can't be broken." Christina pipes up from her position in the circle surrounding the pair lying on the ground.

Amy rolls off Stacie and Stacie tilts her head to glare at the new Bella.

Christina shrugs her shoulders. "Just sayin'."

Stacie moans in pain as she slowly sits up. She bashes her fists against Amy's stomach and arm repeatedly.

"Hey, hold up slut!" Amy holds her hands up in defence. "What's all this abuse for?!"

Stacie stops her bashing and looks at Fat Amy incredulously. "You kicked me in the vagina-"

"Which was an accident." Amy cuts in but Stacie keeps talking.

"And then you body slammed me onto the ground. My boobs could have exploded-"

"But they didn't."

"You may have destroyed my body! What if I can never enjoy sex again?!"

"If that's the case, I guess it's a good thing you've already had enough sex to last a lifetime."

Stacie glowers at Amy and stands up, bringing her foot up aggressively between the large blonde's legs.

"HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK!" Amy screams.

Stacie turns and walks over to Donald, jumping onto his back. Everyone else follows her lead and turns, leaving the blonde writhing on the grass. The only person who remains, watching Amy worriedly, is Mateo.

"Come on dude." Uni calls out to him. "Just leave her! She'll make her way back when she's recovered!"

"Uh ok." Mateo nods his head and jogs after the others.

* * *

Running along the back way, Beca and Jesse finally see the Bella house come into view.

"Yes! That's it!" Beca exclaims excitedly, pumping her fist in the air before pointing to the house.

"Yes Becs, I know which one it is, considering it's right next door to my house." Jesse points out.

"Oh yeah…"

"Skylar!" Anna hisses in Skylar's ear. "That's the Bella house! Run faster!"

Skylar obliges, picking up his pace and quickly narrowing the gap between them and Beca and Jesse. The older couple are still unaware of the new recruits trailing them.

Beca hears footsteps nearing them and looks over her shoulder just in time to see Skylar and Anna run past them.

"Jesse!" She screeches. "They can't win!"

Jesse begins running as fast as possible with Beca on his back. It's really not all that much slower than how fast he can sprint normally, because his girlfriend doesn't exactly way a tonne. Skylar is fast too, and Anna is only about a quarter of an inch taller than Beca and definitely no wider, but Jesse is slightly taller and has longer legs, so he slowly catches up to Skylar.

"RUN KENDRICK, RUN!" Anna exclaims when she notices Jesse and Beca are right on their heels.

"You've got a good hold, right?" Jesse asks Beca and feels her nod into his neck, so he lets go of her thighs and wraps his hands around Anna's waist, trying to pull her off Skylar's back. However, it seems as though Anna's limbs are wrapped around Skylar just as tightly as Beca's are wrapped around Jesse. Anna's tight grip is still a bit of a useful tool for Jesse though, and as the older boy grabs her, he manages to spin both Anna and Skylar around so they are facing the way they had just come from. 20 metres and plenty of shoves later, both pairs rush around to the front of the house and are so focused on their mini competition that they don't see Lilly and Benji, already standing on the veranda. Jesse practically dives at the door, slamming his hand against it in triumph.

"WE WON!" He screams. "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIENDS, AND WE'LL KEEP ON FIGHTING TIL THE END! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, NO TIME FOR LOSERS, 'CAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!"

"Actually, we won." Benji speaks up from his position leaning against the veranda railing with Lilly beside him, watching Jesse, Beca, Skylar and Anna with humour.

All four allow their mouths to fall open.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Anna states.

"Fuck this shit!" Beca says at the same time.

"Well, they have the same height and the same vocabulary." Lilly whispers.

Anna glares at her, but Beca speaks her mind. "Shut up, you psycho."

"Hey!" Benji says, moving to defend Lilly, "Don't speak to her like that!"

"Awww has Benji got a widdle cwush?" Beca asks in a baby voice and Benji gives her a withering look.

Stacie and Donald appear at the gate of the Bella house and swing it open, closely followed by almost everyone else.

"Who won?!" Stacie asks, looking at the three pairs already on the porch.

Skylar, Jesse, Beca and Anna all pout and point to Lilly and Benji.

"Where's Amy?" Beca asks, noticing that one person is still yet to make it to the house.

Everyone looks pointedly at Stacie who just looks down at her nails and clears her throat. "She'll be here when she's recovered."

Beca rolls her eyes. "What did you do, Stace?"

"It was not my fault; she started, I just chose to finish it." Stacie states.

Beca chooses to drop the matter. "Honestly, I don't think I even want to know what happened, so… how about we just get inside."

"Good decision." Sarah says and everyone nods in agreement.

Beca pulls her key out of her pocket and unlocks the door. As soon as it is open, everyone pushes in a surge to get through the door.

"Oi! Hold up a minute!" Beca yells, after almost falling over from being pushed by someone taller than her for the fourth time. "How about we go through the door in the order we got here. So, Benji and Lilly will go first."

Everyone grumbles as Beca takes control of the situation. Lilly and Benji make their way through the crowd and go through the door. Beca grabs Jesse's hand and pulls him in with her, followed closely by Anna and Skylar and Stacie and Donald.

"Now they can fight out who came next among themselves." Stacie says.

Beca nods her head. "That was kinda the idea."

They all go and scatter themselves around the lounge room. Beca and Jesse sit together in one of the arm chairs, Benji sits in another arm chair, Donald and Stacie sit on a beanbag, and Anna and Skylar make themselves comfortable on the couch. Lilly seems to have disappeared. Slowly, the other pairs filter into the room, and those inside can hear the ones outside arguing over who came next. Cynthia Rose and Hat enter first, followed by Kolio and Halley, Sarah and Brian, Jessica and Uni, Denise and Greg, Adam and Christina, Ashley and Steven, and Mateo walks in last. Hat goes and plugs his iPod into the speakers and soon music is echoing around the large house.

"Where'd Lilly go?!" Beca wonders.

"Don't know!" Jesse responds in her ear.

Anna and Skylar shrug from their position on the couch.

A few minutes later, the missing Asian enters the room, carrying a lot of junk food and alcohol.

"Where the hell did all that come from?!" Stacie exclaims, jumping up and grabbing a bag of chips

"Fat Amy has them hidden under her bed for midnight snacks." Lilly says and Beca rolls her eyes at the fact that Lilly still talks as quietly as a mouse.

Lilly tosses the food onto the ground and watches as 90% of the rest of the group pounces on it.

"They're like wild animals." Skylar says in distaste.

"No, they're like zoo animals at feeding time." Anna corrects. "Wild animals have more class than they do."

Skylar watches for a moment before nodding his head. "Agreed."

"WHERE'S THE SLUT?!" An all too familiar Australian voice booms and everyone in the room freezes as they hear the front door slam.

"Awwww shit!" Stacie exclaims, climbing out of Donald's lap and running to hide behind the armchair that Beca and Jesse are sitting on.

Fat Amy appears in the doorway of the loungeroom looking more than a little bit pissed off. Her eyes are shining with anger and she looks like she could very well snap Stacie's neck. As soon as she sees her secret stash of food spread across the ground, however, her eyes flick around the crowded room.

"WHO STOLE MY FOOD?!"

Everyone – bar Benji – immediately dobs Lilly in, all pointing their fingers to her.

Amy's face softens suddenly. "Oh well that's ok then. I like you, Lilly. I won't hurt you." She then raises her voice slightly. "However, Slut Stacie still better watch her back! You're goin down, Conrad!"

"Amy." Beca stands and cautiously makes her way towards the large blonde. "Calm down. I'm sure whatever Stacie did wasn't that bad, and if it was that bad… well I'm sure you deserved it."

Amy pauses in thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah I did deserve it."

"So, you promise not to injure her in any way at all for the rest of the night?" Beca questions.

Again, Amy thinks before answering. "Yeah, I guess I can do that. But next time she messes with me, she will feel the Fat Amy Force!"

"Ok. Stacie you can come out." Beca sighs, going back over to Jesse and falling into his lap. Stacie slowly peeks her head around the side of the chair before creeping out and quickly crawling over to Donald.

"Can we play Truth or Dare?" Uni asks suddenly.

"You're a guy. Aren't girls usually the ones who suggest Truth or Dare and the guys whine about it?" Christina questions.

Uni shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not your average guy."

"I think it's a great idea!" Jessica exclaims. "Does anyone have an empty bottle?"

Cynthia Rose holds up an empty beer bottle. The boys push all of the furniture to the walls and then everyone forms a large circle on the floor.

"Ok, I'll go first because it was my idea." Uni says as he crawls into the middle of the circle and spins the bottle. It lands on Beca. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to… call Aubrey and get her to come over."

Beca rolls her eyes, pulling her phone out of her pocket and scrolling through her contacts until she comes to Queen Spew-A-Lot. She presses call and puts the phone on loud speaker, motioning for everyone to be quiet.

_"What do you want? It is after midnight." _Aubrey answers on the sixth ring.

"Well we're having an Initiation After Party and request the wonderful presence of our two former aca-queens." Beca says seriously.

_"Are you kidding me?"_ Aubrey asks. _"You want me to come to a party?"_

Beca smirks at the other Bellas. "Uni asked me to call you. He wants you to come. Do you think I would have called you of my own volition?"

_"Unicycle wants me to come?"_ Aubrey asks quietly.

"Yup." Beca responds.

_"Ok um… I'll just go and see if Chloe wants to come. I'll call you back in a minute and let you know."_

Beca hangs up and places her phone on the ground between her and Jesse. "Alrighty, let's start this shit!" She crawls towards the bottle and spins it. "Sarah…" She begins slowly. "Truth… or dare?"

"Umm… truth?" Sarah says unsurely.

Just at that moment Beca's mobile rings and she picks it up, answering Aubrey's call. "Sup, blondie?"

_"Chloe and I will be there in ten minutes."_ Aubrey says simply before hanging up.

"Are you a virgin?"

Sarah splutters and her eyes widen. "W-what?!"

"It's a simple question. Are you a virgin?" Beca presses.

Sarah bites her lip and nods her head. "Yeah."

"See? How hard was that? It's your spin now." Beca instructs.

They all watch as the bottle spins and Sarah begins speaking to her victim. "Stacie, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Stacie says confidently.

"I dare you to do body shots with Beca." Sarah smirks at Beca. "Karma's a bitch, honey. You ask me something intimate, I make you do something intimate."

Beca glares at the young girl.

Amy jumps up and disappears out of the room, coming back moments later with a bottle of tequila, shot glasses, salt, and a lime which has been cut into wedges.

"OK, who's up first?" Amy asks.

"Beca!" Stacie says excitedly.

Beca huffs, but by this stage in the night she's really just putting on a show. She's had that much alcohol already that she doesn't care about doing body shots with Stacie, but she doesn't want to lose her badass rep.

"Come on Beca, we have to." Stacie whines, crawling through the middle of the circle and kneels down in front of Beca, grabbing the smaller girl's hands. "Please? For me? For us?" Then she begins singing. "What about us? What about everything we've been through?"

Beca bursts into giggles at that and willingly crawls into the middle of the circle with Stacie.

Beca takes her tank top off so she is just in her bikini top and lies on her back as Amy passes the shot glasses, alcohol, lime and salt to Stacie. When Stacie has all of the necessities sitting by Beca's head, the tall girl places her long legs on either side of Beca's hips, straddling her. Stacie leans over and licks a line down Beca's throat before shaking the salt on it. She carefully puts one of the lime wedges in Beca's mouth, the flesh of the fruit facing outwards. Lastly, she pours the tequila into one of the shot glasses, nestling it in Beca's cleavage.

When everything is set up, Stacie grins down at Beca. "You ready for this honey?"

Beca simply nods her head, unable to speak around the lime in her mouth.

Stacie leans down and licks all of the salt off Beca's neck before leaning down to the shot glass and picking it up between her teeth, throwing her head back. She carefully manoeuvres the small glass back to its original place on Beca's chest and moves her lips up to the lime wedge in Beca's mouth. Their lips gently brush each other's as Stacie removes the lime from Beca's lips and sucks the liquid out of it.

Most of the Trebles are holding their breaths, watching the two women in anticipation.

"Holy mother of God…" Donald whispers, his eyes glued on his girlfriend and his best friend's girlfriend as they complete the dare.

* * *

**Mwahahahaha I know I'm evil to leave it like that :p Oh well, review maybe?**


	7. Chapter 6

**I love you guys all so much! Thank you for the amazing reviews! **

**Holy shit this is a long chapter! Like, it's freaking insanely massive! I had to get so much in it though, setting up things for new people to enter the storyline and everyone being drunk and stuff like that, and I'd rather not split it into more chapters than necessary. **

**Thank you to those new people who follow / favourite this story! It gives me the boost to keep writing!**

**Super special thank you to yingyangchick who gave me the fantastic idea for something which is foreshadowed in this chapter (you'll know what it is, darl), and thank you to chubbycheeks143 for unknowingly helping give me a direction for where this story is actually headed, because up until now I was just writing this with no purpose, but now I have a clear thing to aim for (hint, it's in our PMs about what we think would happen in the _Pitch_ sequel).**

**If you haven't heard the song _Piano Man_ by Billy Joel, you might want to YouTube it or something before / while reading this chapter to get a feel for how complicated it is to play on piano. I think we all need to appreciate my lovely Anna Astin's musical talents :p**

**Disclaimer: If I owned _Pitch Perfect_ or any of the songs (_I Kissed A Girl_, _Piano Man_, _Russian Roulette_, _Dark Side_) or movies mentioned (_Letters To Juliet_, _E.T._, _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_, _Forrest Gump_, _The Breakfast Club_, _Grease_, _Footloose_, _Flash Dance_, _Peter Pan_) in this chapter, do you really think I would be writing fanfiction?**

**Chubbycheks143: Thank you :D I will try to update once or twice a week, but it all depends on school and how much homework and assignments on get :/**

**Ballpointmf: Thanks**

**JessicaYip792: Thanks, glad you like it!**

**Gossipssweetlips: Thank you so much! Your reviews always make my day go from a 6 to an 8 or 9 :D I'm glad you seemed to enjoy that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I hope I can keep you entertained for the rest of the story! :)**

**SwiftPayneCastleBeale: Hello Chloe! Ehhh Sarah's ok, I based her off one of my weird-ass friends ;)**

**Guest: Haha I love Niall, he is the most beautiful person in the whole entire world. If I could marry anyone, it would be him.**

**Anaeira (Guest): Hahahaha sorry! I stopped right there because I'm evil :p haha yes I was wondering if anyone would pick up the HSM2 lyrics :) Thank you :)**

**Yingyangchick: (Stuttering with a pokerface) thank you. (Overreacting) Haha that's not my problem, something dodgy's going on with your alerts. With all that alcohol a certain someone could definitely get drunk ;). (Inner burning love screams) saaaaame! (Plays it off) Oh I did make it that Jesse gets drunk :p. (Reality) Thank you, you're a grade A relief in my reviews. Thank you again! Don't worry about your alter egos, they made me laugh. But I am concerned you may have multiple personality disorder :p kidding, love ya! :D**

* * *

**Third Person POV**

Aubrey opens the front door of the Bella house, Chloe right behind her, and walks in. They walk towards the lounge room where the music is coming from. Aside from the loud music, the house is in complete silence. No buzz of talking, no drunken singing, no squeals as people complete insane dares. Just the lyrics for _I Kissed A Girl_. It's weird, quite honestly, and the two ex-Bellas don't know what to make of the lack of noise. Aubrey freezes when she reaches the lounge room and Chloe runs into the back of her friend.

"Aubrey, what the-" Chloe hisses but stops talking abruptly when she looks around the slightly taller girl and takes in the scene in front of them. The dim lighting, the masses of junk food, the alcohol, the circle of Bellas and Trebles. And Chloe almost chokes when she sees the two girls in the middle of the circle, Stacie lying on her back while Beca straddles her and licks her neck.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Aubrey screeches.

Most of the people in the room turn their eyes to Aubrey at her sudden outburst, except for Beca who is intent on completing the job at hand of removing all traces of salt from Stacie's skin, Stacie who looks very relaxed and has her eyes closed, and Jesse and Donald who cannot remove their eyes from their girlfriends. All eyes immediately flip back to Stacie as a slight moan passes her lips. Everyone watches as Beca leans to Stacie's breasts and takes the shot glass in her mouth, tossing her head back and swallowing the tequila in seconds, before tossing it to the ground. She leans down to take the lime from Stacie's lips, pressing their chests together and biting into the lime before she even takes it out of Stacie's mouth, allowing the citric taste to enter both of their mouths. Beca skims their lips together before pulling away, clutching the lime between her teeth triumphantly. She climbs off Stacie and Stacie sits up slowly.

"Am I the only one who found that incredibly hot?" Hat asks, still in shock at what he just witnessed.

The other guys shake their heads, all eyes trained on the two new leaders of the Bellas who are still sitting in the middle of the circle.

"Beca, wow." Stacie turns to her closest friend. "Just… wow."

"Does anyone else find this song extremely ironic?" Christina asks and they all turn their ears to Katy Perry's _I Kissed A Girl_.

"I was actually just thinking that myself." Anna responds.

"Beca please tell me," Jesse begins as Beca crawls back to her spot in the circle beside him. "Did you enjoy that?"

She holds up her hand, her thumb and index finger a few centimetres apart. "A little bit."

"Me too." Jesse whispers to her.

As Stacie climbs into Donald's lap on the other side of the circle, he mumbles into her neck, "You have no idea how much that turned me on."

"Actually, I do." She chuckles, wriggling on his lap slightly to clarify her point.

Chloe, seemingly unfazed by what she just walked in on, bounds across the room and plonks herself down on the ground between Jessica and Donald. Uni wriggles over and pats a spot on the ground beside himself for Aubrey. Aubrey goes and sits down in the space between Unicycle and Anna.

Se huffs out a sigh as she looks over Anna, because the first time she saw the new girls up close they were all in their pyjamas with no makeup on. "Great, they let in another alt girl."

Anna quirks an eyebrow at Aubrey. "At least I'm not Miss Prissy and Perfect."

Skylar bites his lip to stop from laughing at Anna's comment.

"Oi Stacie, you have to spin the bottle!" Amy exclaims loudly.

Stacie rolls her eyes and crawls into the middle of the circle, spinning the bottle. It lands on Adam.

"So Adam," Stacie looks at the new Treblemaker. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." He states.

Stacie smirks. "I dare you to run from here to the amphitheatre and back…"

He stands up confidently. "That's easy."

Stacie tries not to laugh. "I hadn't finished. You have to do it nude."

"Ohhh…" He says slowly. "Ok then." Despite his initial shock, Adam begins taking his clothes off while he walks to the door.

Everyone else scrambles to their feet to watch. They all burst into laughter as he slowly peers over the gate before opening it and beginning to run in the direction of the amphitheatre, stark naked.

"That was the best dare, Stace!" Jessica manages breathlessly between laughs.

"Thank you, I'm proud of it." Stacie chuckles.

They all walk back into the lounge room, Christina picking up all of Adam's clothes on the way. They sit down and Stacie re-spins the bottle, saying as way of explanation, "God knows how long it will take him to get back."

It lands on Kolio.

"Truth or dare?" Stacie asks.

"Truth." He answers.

"Who's the hottest girl here?"

"Either Chloe or Beca." He says immediately.

"Thanks!" Chloe chirps.

At the same moment, Jesse tosses a cushion across the circle at Kolio's face. "C'mon man! You aren't allowed to vocalise your attraction to my girlfriend!"

"Sorry man, I was just being honest." Kolio shrugs his shoulders.

"It's ok, I'm flattered." Beca says, placing a comforting hand on Jesse's leg.

Kolio spins the bottle and it lands on Chloe. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." The redhead says.

"Hmmmm… Ok, have you ever kissed a girl, and if so, who was it?"

"I've kissed Aubrey." She says nonchalantly. "And I've seen Beca naked."

"WHAT?" Jesse squeaks.

"She was singing in the shower, so I joined her." Chloe explains as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Jesse looks back at Beca in horror. Watching his girlfriend do body shots with another woman is one thing, but finding out she has showered with a woman is another thing entirely.

"She has no sense of personal space. You have no idea how many times I tried to get her to leave but she just wouldn't go!" Beca defends herself.

"Oh come on, you know we sounded amazing." Chloe says. "Josh couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the day."

"Josh as in your boyfriend?" Jesse clarifies.

"Yep. He came in to complement Beca on how lovely her voice was."

"This just keeps getting worse." Jesse mutters.

Beca chuckles and intertwines their fingers.

"Ok…" Chloe spins the bottle. "Aubrey. Truth or dare?"

Aubrey pauses in consideration before shocking everyone with her answer. "Dare."

Chloe grins around at her old Bellas, silently communicating with them. They all nod excitedly in understanding.

"Aubrey. I dare you to kiss Unicycle. Like, really kiss him. It has to last at least 10 seconds and involve tongue."

Aubrey's eyes widen and she looks like she may throw up.

"Holy shit!" Beca exclaims, quickly wriggling back far enough out of the circle to be safe in case Aubrey blows chunks.

"Come on Aubrey," Cynthia Rose says, "You have to do it."

"And what happens if I don't?" She counters.

"Nothing, except you will lose all of respect and will never live it down for the rest of your life."

"But… he's a Treble!"

"And you, my dear, are no longer a Bella. So the oath doesn't matter." Chloe pipes up.

"What oath?" Hat asks.

"I solemnly promise to never have sexual relations with a Treblemaker or may my vocal chords be ripped out by wolves." Every female in the room recites in unison.

"That never stopped us." Donald whispers in Stacie's ear.

Jesse looks at Beca who refuses to meet his gaze. "Becs?"

All eyes in the room focus on the couple.

"Beca? Is that part of the reason you kept pushing me away?"

She nods her head slowly, still not meeting his eyes. "That's why I came to your room after I'd left the Bellas. Because I decided that Aubrey could go and shove her stupid oaths up her ass because I wasn't a Bella anymore."

"Aca-scuse me?" Aubrey exclaims.

Beca shrugs her shoulders. "Well I wasn't a Bella anymore. I could do whatever I wanted."

"Wait, what about now? I mean, we're together but you're also a Bella." Jesse says.

"Aubrey and her stupid rules can't control me and who I want to be with." Beca answers.

"And I convinced Aubrey to abolish that rule after Beca all but jumped you at the Finals." Chloe adds.

"What, so if that oath no longer exists, why did we have to say it?" Halley wonders.  
"Tradition." Beca explains "And it's Aubrey's favourite part of Initiation, watching the reactions of the new recruits when they say that."

"Sadistic bitch." Anna grumbles under breath, making Skylar laugh. Luckily, Aubrey doesn't hear that comment.

"Fine! I'll do it!" Aubrey exclaims suddenly, before turning and kissing Uni forcefully on the lips.

Everyone whoops and cheers as Aubrey relaxes into Unicycle's body.

"Go Bree!" Chloe cheers.

"That's right, show him who's in charge!" Stacie adds.

"You're worse than dingoes on heat!" Fat Amy exclaims. "Good on you!"

After 17 seconds of everyone watching Aubrey and Uni make out, Beca pokes the blonde girl's arm.

Aubrey whirls around to look at her, annoyed. "What?!"

"You might wanna save the rest for the bedroom." Beca advises.

Aubrey suddenly blushes, the red painting her cheeks in an instant. It doesn't go unnoticed by anyone that Unicycle doesn't remove his hand from Aubrey's waist as the game continues.

* * *

An hour later and they are still playing Truth or Dare. Donald spins the bottle and it lands on Skylar.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Skylar answers.

Stacie whispers something in Donald's ear and he nods before looking back at Skylar. "I dare you to complete Seven Minutes Of Heaven with Anna."

Skylar stands and pulls Anna up with him. "Ok, where are we going?"

"My room. There's a spare bed. Up the stairs, last door on the right." Stacie directs.

Skylar tugs Anna up the stairs and opens the door that Stacie had instructed.

Anna perches on the end of the bed and immediately looks at Skylar. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

Skylar's smile falls off his face for a moment, but he quickly recovers, nodding at her. "That's ok. But we still have to stay up here for seven minutes, so…"

Anna looks down at her hands, fiddling with her nails and picking at the black nail polish.

"Ok so… what's your favourite movie?" Skylar asks.

"Ummm… oooh I don't know actually! There are so many!"

"Come on, the first one that comes into your head."

"Don't judge ok?" She looks at him.

"Why would I judge you because of a movie?"

"I love _Letters To Juliet_." Anna says, not looking at him.

"You, the scary girl with tattoos and piercings, likes a cliché movie like_ Letters To Juliet_?"

"You said you wouldn't judge me." She huffs out.

"I'm not judging you, I'm just trying to work you out. You, Miss Anna, are full of surprises."

"So what's your favourite movie?" She tries to take the focus of the conversation off herself.

"_E.T._ No questions asked. Oh, but _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_, _The Breakfast Club_ and _Forrest Gump_ are great, too!"

"Never seen them." She shrugs.

"WHAT?!"

She looks at him, an eyebrow raised. "What? I haven't seen some dumb old movies. So what?"

"They are… classics! How could you even think of them as 'dumb old movies'?! Those movies, along with a few select others, shaped the cinematic world as we know it today! Without those movies… people wouldn't have been inspired or forced to challenge their ideas and beliefs and values. Those movies made history!"

Anna looks at him curiously. "I don't watch old movies. The story lines are way too cheesy and predictable and the special effects really suck. I watched the first ten minutes of _E.T._ and gave up on it. The only old movies I watch are good musicals. _Grease_, _Footloose_, _Flashdance_. At least that way sucky special effects can't ruin a perfectly good movie."

"What is wrong with you?! Those special effects were state of the art!"

"Yeah, twenty years ago."  
"You know, Jesse told me about how he had to give Beca and movie education. Because Beca didn't like movies and Jesse loved them. So he gave her a 'movication'. I think I need to give you a movication, too." Skylar states.

Anna looks at him. "Seriously? I do actually like movies. I can quote movies word for word."

"But not the greatest ones of all time! Nothing you say will change my mind. I am going to make you fall in love with classic 80s and 90s movies. End of discussion."

Anna rolled her eyes at him. "You are such a freak."

"Says the girl who doesn't like _E.T._, yet has two _Peter Pan_ tattoos. You are a confusing mystery, Anna Astin."

"Why thank you, I do feel a great sense of accomplishment when I manage to befuddle drunk movie nerds."

Skylar laughs at her and she grins, laughing with him. She honestly can't remember the last time she's had as much fun as she's having tonight. She doesn't think she's ever had this much fun, to be honest. Except for maybe when her, her mum and Ollie when to Disneyland. That was a great day.

"Ok, favourite old song?" Skylar asks her.

"_Piano Man_ by Billy Joel." She says instantly.

"Really?"

She nods her head. "Yeah, it's just so beautiful and tragic. It's perfect."

"Sing it for me?" He asks. "I don't think I know it."

"Ok…" She spots a keyboard in the corner of the room and jumps up, going over to it and sitting on the stool. He follows her and stands behind her as he watches her fingers moves over the keys. She's really good. I mean, he thought he was good at piano, he's been playing it since he was 6, but Anna is amazing at it.

"_It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, _

_the regular crowd shuffles in_

_And there's an old man sitting next to me,_

_ makin' love to his tonic and gin_

_He says "Son can you play me a memory?_

_I'm not really sure how it goes._

_But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete,_

_when I wore a younger man's clothes"_

_La la la da di da_

_La la da di da da dum_

_Sing us a song, you're the piano man_

_Sing us a song tonight_

_Well we're all in the mood for a melody _

_and you've got us feeling alright_

_Now John at the bar is a friend of mine_

_He gets me my drinks for free_

_And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke_

_But there's some place that he'd rather be_

_He says "Bill I believe this is killing me"_

_As the smile ran away from his face_

_"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star_

_If I could get out of this place"_

_Oh la la la da di da_

_La la da di da da dum_

_And the waitress is practicing politics_

_While the businessmen slowly get stoned_

_Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness_

_But it's better than drinking alone_

_Sing us a song, you're the piano man_

_Sing us a song tonight_

_Well we're all in the mood for a melody _

_and you've got us feeling alright_

_Now John is a real estate novelist_

_Who never had time for a wife_

_And he's talkin with Davy who's still in the navy_

_And probably will be for life_

_It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday_

_And the manager gives me a smile_

_Because he knows that it's me they've been coming to see_

_To forget about life for a while_

_And the piano it sounds like a carnival_

_And the microphone smells like a beer_

_And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar_

_And say "Man, what are you doin' here?"_

_Oh la la la da di da_

_La la da di da da dum_

_Sing us a song, you're the piano man_

_Sing us a song tonight_

_Well we're all in the mood for a melody _

_and you've got us feeling alright_"

"Wow…" Skylar whispers, looking down at Anna in awe as she plays the last run on the keyboard. "That was amazing."

Suddenly there are loud claps and whistles coming from the doorway. Skylar and Anna both turn around to see all of the Bellas and Trebles crowding around the doorway, some leaking into the bedroom, others in the hallway.

"That was really good." Aubrey praises the new Bella.

"Uh, thanks." Anna says awkwardly, blushing at the thought that she had just given the Bellas and Trebles a performance. She doesn't really do solos. She's surprised she even managed to complete her audition without having a panic attack. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, I came up to tell you guys that your seven minutes was up and you had to finish up, get dressed, and come back downstairs," Stacie begins, "But I opened the door and you were singing, so I called the rest up to come and watch."

"Gee thanks." Anna says sarcastically.

"So, did you guys do anything?" Unicycle asks.

Anna glares at Uni, but Skylar answers. "No, we just talked."

"WHAT?! You get locked in a room for seven minutes and you don't screw him?!" Fat Amy exclaims, looking at Anna.

Anna sends Amy daggers and the Australian just shrugs her shoulders.

"Alright. Let's go back downstairs now." Anna states, standing up from the keyboard. She pushes through the group in the doorway and marches down the stairs, thoroughly pissed off with both Amy and Stacie. Actually, she's angry with the world right now. Everyone sucks. No one respects her or her need for privacy. Screw them all.

She walks towards the front door, grabbing her jacket and leaving, slamming the door behind her.

"What's up her ass?" Fat Amy wonders.

"God, that girl needs to get laid. Like, seriously." Stacie adds.

Beca looks at them incredulously. "Do you guys have no empathy?! She doesn't need to get laid, she needs to be fucking understood and respected!"

She takes off down the stairs after the small blonde, yelling back over her shoulder, "All of you stay here! And I will expect every single one of you to apologise to Anna when we get back!"

Yes sir." Uni grumbles under his breath sarcastically as Beca closes the front door behind her, slightly more gently than Anna had.

* * *

**Anna's POV**

I pull my jacket on as I run, not really knowing where I'm heading. I don't want to go back to my dorm and have to face Karla again. But Beca and the other Bellas are the only friends I actually have on campus. So, I don't consciously know where I'm going, I just run as far away from the party as possible.

I end up at the radio station. I reach up and pull the key out from the crack between the bricks, unlocking the door and entering the reception area. I walk through the door into the actual station and head upstairs, hooking my iPod up to the speakers. Rihanna's _Russian Roulette _fills the open room, drowning out Luke's overnight playlist.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and hit Speed Dial Three. On the fifth ring, she picks up.

_"Hey are you ok? Why are you calling so late? It's like, 1 in the morning! You're not in trouble or anything, are you?"_

"Everything sucks." I sob down the phone, not answering any of her questions.

_"Baby what happened?!"_ She asks, sounding worried.

"There's this guy. He sung to me at the activities fair on Monday. And now we work at the radio station together. And we're both in these two a cappella groups which seem to have some sort of rival-turned-lover history. I'm in the Bellas which is an all girl group and he's in the Treblemakers which is all guys…"

_"Like **The Perfect Pitch**?"_ She questions.

"Yeah actually, just like that." I say. "But now I think he likes me. Actually, I know he likes me; a blind man could see that."

_"And how do you feel about him?"_ She asks me carefully.

I sigh in frustration. "I don't know! He's cute and sweet and probably the closest thing to perfection on this earth, but god he annoys me so much sometimes! And the fact that I'm so confused about it all, that scares me so much."

_"I know baby, I know. But I think you've just gotta follow your heart. Stop overthinking it all and just go for it. I mean, what have you got to lose?"_

"What little is left of my heart." I answer bitterly.

_"I'm the one with a divorce up my sleeve." _She reminds me. _"Look, not everyone is going to leave you. I'm not going to leave you, even if Sky and I break up. You're my best friend."_ She says.

"I know." I say. "You're my best friend, too." I pause for a moment as something else occurs to me. "Oh, he has the same name as your current boyfriend, too."

_"You like a guy who has the same name as your cousin?"_ She asks incredulously. _"Only you Astin, only you."_

"Can I just point out that you and I have the same name." I state.

_"Falling for people with the same name as your cousin must run in the family."_ She jokes.

"Yeah, apparently." I laugh despite my mixed emotions on, well everything really. This is why I love her, she can make me feel a hundred times better by saying one single sentence.

"Thanks Camp, you're amazing." I say to her.

_"I know."_ She says, and I can hear the laughing smile in her voice. _"That's why millions adore me."_

I hear the door open downstairs and look through the wooden railing to see Beca. I retract my head as soon as I see her tiny form, hoping she doesn't see me. Of course she would be the one to come after me.

"Look I've gotta go." I say into the phone. "Apparently they sent out a search party for me when I left the party."

_"Ok, stay safe hun." _She says to me.

"Don't worry, I will. Say hi to the jerk for me." I joke.

_"Hey Sky wake up, Anna says hi!"_ I hear her call out. Clearly she's at his place. Or he's at hers. Or they're at a hotel.

_"Hey freak!"_ I hear my cousin yell, clearly aimed at me.

"Screw you, Lipstein!" I say and hear her relay the message to him.

I hear Beca walking up the stairs, following my voice.

"Look, I really have to go. I'll talk to you later though, yeah?"

_"Sure thing. You know you can call me whenever, night or day, no matter what timezone I'm in, right? If you ever need anything, I'm here."_

"I know. Thanks." I whisper.

_"No problem. Night baby. Love you."_ She hangs up the call and I push my phone back into my pocket and look up to see Beca standing at the top of the stairs, watching me carefully.

"Hey." I mumble. "You didn't have to follow me."

"I know, but I thought you might want some company to sit with and complain about how much life sucks and how everybody is a jerk."  
"Sorry to burst your big sister moment," I say bluntly, "But I already called someone to complain to about how much life sucks and how everybody is a jerk to."

"Yeah, who was that? If you don't mind me asking?"

"My cousin's girlfriend. They've been together for a bit over a year. She's like my big sister slash best friend slash confidante slash advice giver slash personal ray of sunshine." I smile, thinking about the beautiful, elegant, classy blonde, and how she would never let me forget if she ever heard any of what I just said.

Beca laughs at my description. "So," She walks over and sits down beside me. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I say quietly. "Well actually, I'm not at the moment. But I'll be good in a bit."

Beca smiles. "Ok. Well, I can leave if you like?"

"No!" I say way too quickly. "I mean, can you just sit here with me?"

She nods her head. "Sure."

We sit in silence for a few minutes, listening to Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson.

_Even if I try to push you out will you return?_

_And remind me who I really am,_

_Please remind me who I really am._

_Everybody's got a dark side_

_Do you love me?_

_Can you love mine?_

_Nobody's a picture perfect_

_But we're worth it, you know that we're worth it_

_Will you love me even with my dark side?_

"I love this song." I mumble.

"Me too. Me too." Beca agrees.

I look at her curiously.

"I'll explain it later." She says.

"Ok." I say, not pushing the subject. I know when people try to force things out of me, I just shut down. And I don't want Beca to shut down on me, when she is really the only person here I can count as a friend. I'm sure over time the other Bellas and Trebles will become my friends, but right now Beca is really my only one.

"Can I ask you something personal?" I ask suddenly.

"Yeah sure." She says.

"Ummm… when you first met Jesse… what did you think about him?"

Beca laughs at the memories. "He was so weird. And he annoyed me so much sometimes with the random crap that came out of his mouth. But he… I don't know, he captivated me, I guess. And I was scared because it was so obvious that he had feelings for me, and he was being so persistent. And what scared me more was that I knew I had feelings for him too, but everyone who I'd ever loved had hurt me. I didn't want to get hurt again, but more than that, I didn't want to hurt him. He was so perfect, and I was so broken. It seemed inevitable that I would hurt him. And then I did, and we weren't even together. I hurt us both so much more than I ever thought possible. God I was so stupid! Hindsight is a wonderful thing." She mutters to herself and looks up at me. "You like him, don't you? Skylar."

"No!" I say and she raises an eyebrow at me. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know." I sigh.

Beca smiles knowingly. "Follow your heart. Stop listening to your brain and just do whatever the hell your heart is telling you to do."

I let out a long, loud puff of air. "Easier said than done."

"Actually, it's not. I used to think it was, but I was wrong. It's actually one of the easiest things in the world to do."

"Beca, I don't think I could cope if anyone else left me." I whisper, looking over at her.

"If he's anything like Jesse, that boy has no intention of leaving you. He will follow you until you say yes or he annoys you so much that you kill him. But in all seriousness, I don't think you have to worry about him leaving you."

We sit there for a while, just focussing on the music surrounding us. My head falls onto Beca's shoulder as we listen to the last few lines of the song.

_Nobody's a picture perfect_

_But we're worth it, you know that we're worth it_

_Will you love me even with my dark side?_

_Don't run away, don't run away_

_Don't run away, promise you'll stay._

Beca looks down at me. "So, are you ready to go back to the house? If you like, you can just head up to my room and crash in my bed." She offers.

"Nah that's ok, I'm a big girl. I can face the music, and I can definitely face a bunch of drunk nerd singers."

"Are you sure about that?" Beca asks as she stands and pulls me up with her.

* * *

**Ta da! That is all for today, folks!**

**Soooo… who knows who Anna was on the phone to? And has anyone worked out who Anna's fabulous cousin is?**

**Oh, I also had to change the movie _Pitch Perfect_ to _The Perfect Pitch_ for the reference in this chapter. Also, if the physical movie comes up at any other stage during the story I will call it _The Perfect Pitch._**

**Please, press the little blue button now there! It makes me smile when you do! :D**


	8. Thank You!

**This isn't a chapter, this is just an AN, so sorry if I mislead any of you by thinking I've updated twice in one day because let's be honest, that will never happen :p**

**Okie dokie, so I am going to thank all of my fantastic reviewers, and I will confirm / deny theories as to who Anna was on the phone to.**

* * *

**Marvellous, so let's get started!**

**princessnina070:**** Kind of... it will all be revealed :p thanks, I'm always worried about the length of chapters because I don't want to leave people hanging because it's so short, but I don't want people to get bored because it's too long!**

**gossipssweetlips:**** Thank you, I love you! Yes, I like writing Aubrey! Oh yes, Donald and Jesse definitely enjoyed that particular dare and wish it were a regular occurence :p Bingo, you got it in one! Her cousin is indeed the lovely Skylar Astin and his girlfriend is the gorgeous Anna Camp! :') I'm glad you liked the Anna/Skylar bedroom bit, I was kind of worried about that. And oh my god Piano Man is my favourite song of all time! Anna and Beca's d&m is something I had been struggling to to find a place for, because I so desperately wanted it to go in, but I didn't know if it was too early. Yes, they're going to develop a really close sisterly bond, seeing as in this story they both only have brothers :)**

**Chloe-Sullivan14 (guest): hmmmm close... but not quite :)**

**Guest: You are spot on!**

**SwiftPayneCastleBeale: My friend Sarah is a babe ;) did you so know who Anna was talking to? Sorry, I was going to wait but Maddie kept walking! Love Beca! :) xxxxxxxxxx**

**Halley (guest): sure sure, knock yourself out darl (don't actually knock yourself out, knowing you you probably would.) :p**

**Halley (guest): yup, you got yourself a hot, sexy Kolio back to ride on :p**

**Halley (guest): Dude you are such a pain in the ass, fine, I'll find you a new visual aid with dirty blonde hair. And I will ask for your approval :p**

**Halley (guest): SORRY! Kidding, I'm not really :p considering making you break a toe in an upcoming chapter :p**

**Halley (guest): Whoop whoop! Thank you very much, I know :p actually, Anna (who is based on me) and Halley become best friends later on :p yes, the story The Perfect Pitch is written by you, my dear :p I am so good, giving your story a shoutout in mine :p**

**Guest: Yup, Anna Camp is her bestie / cousin's girlfriend, and Skylar Astin is her cousin! Oh I wish it were me, too!**

* * *

**I really only did this because I pissed myself laughing at Halley's reviews and needed to reply to her seeing as she wasn't replying to my PMs :p**

* * *

**So my lovelies, as a heads up, Skylar Astin Lipstein is indeed the lovely Anna Astin's older cousin :D it will all be further explained later on in the story! So, seeing as Skylar Astin is Anna Astin's cousin, guess who Skylar Kendrick's cousin is...? :p that lovely idea was suggested to me by yingyangchick, so thank's for that idea, hun!**


	9. Chapter 7

**Ok, so this is very short but I wanted to update before the weekend! So, I apologise for the absolutely pathetic length. I'm not sure how happy I am with this chapter, but read and let me know what you think? So, I would like to thank Olivia for being amazing and actually bringing me to tears with how sweet she is. You made my day when you PMd me! Halley, I just want you to know you are a pain in my ass, but make me laugh on a daily basis and give me someone to bitch to. You have managed to climb onto my list of Best Friends From The Other Side Of The World, my dear.**

**Now for the review replies!**

**Halley (guest):**** Yeah yeah, blame the time differences :p ok, tell your dog to shut up next time you're trying to leave me a review :p**

**yingyangchick245:**** It was a brilliant idea! Thank you for giving me that idea, actually.**

**Guest:**** Thanks!**

**_Disclaimer:_********I don't own ****_Pitch Perfect_****, any characters, or any of the actors who make special appearances :p**

* * *

**Third Person POV**

The door of the Bella house swings open and a tall Man with greying hair walks in, shouting as he goes. "REBECA MITCHELL!"

Halley and Anna, the only two in the house who are awake, stand up from the barstools they are perched on, their mugs of coffee sitting forgotten. They slip through into the back of the loungeroom and watch the scene that unfolds before them.

Dr Mitchell walks past the loungeroom, but doubles back when he sees his daughter lying on the couch, sprawled on top of Jesse.

"REBECA ALLISON MITCHELL!" He shouts from the doorway. "THIS IS NOT YOUR INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY CLASS! YOU KNOW, THE ONE YOU HAVE TO REPEAT BECAUSE YOU FAILED IT LAST YEAR FOR NOT ATTENDING ENOUGH OF THE ACTUAL LESSONS!"

Beca's eyes snap open in shock as she tries to climb off Jesse, well aware that Jesse has no shirt on and she herself is only in her bikini top and denim shorts. In her attempt to scramble off her boyfriend, she falls off the couch and lands on top of Stacie and Aubrey who are lying on the ground in front of the couch.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Aubrey screeches as Beca falls down on top of them.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Stacie screams at the same time. "What is it with everyone trying to make my breasts explode?!"

"REBECA!" Dr Mitchell tries to get his daughter's attention.

"Call me that one more time," Beca warns, "And I will tear your face to shreds."

"EXCUSE ME?!" He exclaims.

"And for god's sack, stop yelling! A bit of courtesy to the 26 hungover people in the room would be nice!" Beca retaliates, burying her face in the carpet between Stacie and Aubrey's heads.

"Actually, there're only 24 hungover people." Anna states.

"Anna and I didn't drink enough last night to be hungover now." Halley adds.

Beca throws them the bird, not lifting her head from the soft carpet.

"Beca do you have any idea how many strings I had to pull for you to be able to repeat this course?" Dr Mitchell asks, ignoring everyone in the room bar his daughter.

"I didn't ask you to! Besides, it's Saturday, we don't have any classes on a Saturday." Beca grumbles.

"No, but some classes do occasionally have special guest lecturers come in on the weekend. You philosophy class has one today. Or, did have one, seeing as it finished 37 minutes ago." He states.

Beca slowly climbs back up onto the couch, peering over the back of it to look at her father. "I was posing an important philosophical question: if I didn't go to that lecture, would it still suck? Apparently, the answer is yes, it will still find a way to ruin my day. You being here right now is proof of that."

Dr Mitchell rolls his eyes at her. "Will you ever grow up, Beca?"

"I'm 19! I'm allowed to be a bitchy, rebellious teenager! You should be grateful; I could be a teen mother!"

Dr Mitchell's eyes darken as she says that and Beca gives him a cold, hard glare. They stare each other down for a few more moments before Beca wonders, "Why are you even here?"

"Well I had something I wanted to tell you. I went to pick you up from your lecture so I could take you out to lunch, but you didn't come out of the hall. I went in and asked Professor Richards if he knew where you had gone, and he said you hadn't even showed up to begin with. So, here I am now."

"Well then, what did you want to tell me?" She asks him.

Dr Mitchell looks pointedly around the room at the large group of tired, groggy, severely hungover young adults.

"Oh my god Dad, just tell me! It doesn't matter if they hear whatever it is you want to tell me, because odds are I'll tell them anyway!"

"Fine." Dr Mitchell says. "Sheila and I are having a baby." He says bluntly.

"WHAT?!" Beca all but screams in horror.

"Holy shit…" Uni pales, jumping up and sprinting out of the room in the direction of the bathroom. Aubrey gets up and follows him and everyone else can hear him vomiting.

"I agree with Uni's reaction." Beca says bluntly.

"Beca…" Dr Mitchell says warningly.

"What? You can't expect me to be happy that the Step Monster is going to pop a gremlin out in 9 months time."

"Actually, she is due in just over 6 months. Also, I would appreciate it if you stopped calling Sheila that. And this baby is going to be your sibling whether you like it or not, and I will not tolerate you talking about my child like that."

"You won't tolerate me talking about your child like that?" Beca asks incredulously. "In case you've forgotten, I'm your child too! I was your first child! But that's ok, it's not like you have to pretend that I matter now that you have your new perfect little family."

"Your mother has had two other children with her new husband!"

"Yeah, but I'm a part of that family! They make me feel like I belong there! And, you know, Mum and Paul haven't moved on with their lives and left me, Tyler and Noah behind! We're a family!" She hisses at her father. "There's Mum who you left broken but managed to make herself better than she ever was with you, Paul who is more of a father to me and the boys than you ever were, Tyler who is in his senior year of high school this year which I bet you'd forgotten, Noah got his first girlfriend the other week which I guarantee you didn't know, Zane who is gorgeous and doesn't care about the fact that his big sister has a different dad than he does, and Malik who always finds something to be happy about. They are my family, so if you expect me to be happy about the fact that you and Sheila are giving me a new family member, I don't need one because my family is complete without you."

Dr Mitchell's mouth falls open in shock at what his just said to him before he looks at her angrily. "I am your father and you are a part of my family whether you like it or not."

"No, you stopped being my father and gave up the right to have me as part of your family when you left Mum, Ty, Noah and I eight years ago. I have a new family now."

Dr Mitchell begins walking towards Beca angrily.

Anna and Halley quickly step between the father and his daughter, and Christina and Sarah join them, creating a protective wall in front of Beca.

"I think it's best if you leave now." Anna says to him.

"And who gives you the right to say anything? You are not a part of this discussion."

"We are Bellas and you are in the Bella house. Anything conversation that happens in this house, all Bellas are immediately part of." Halley says.

Dr Mitchell looks past the four younger girls at his daughter. "I thought we could make this work, Beca."

Beca looks him straight in the eye as she responds. "You thought wrong."

With that, Dr Mitchell turns and walks away from his daughter and her friends. As he closes the door behind himself, he realises how stupid he was to leave Beca and his two sons. They've made new families now, and he isn't a part of any of them.

* * *

**Hmmmm thoughts? I will post a list of everyone's family members later today, I think, just to make sure nobody is confuzzled.**

**Review away, my dears, and let me know what you think! Also, I am willing to take ideas / suggestions on specific things people would like to see happen in this story.**


	10. Family members

**Ok, so this is just a list of everyone's family members who will be spoken of / introduced in the story at some point in the future :p I've put ages and visual aids with all siblings and cousins, too :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect or any actors.**

* * *

**Anna's Family**

**_Astin_**

Dad, **Robert**

Mum, **Savanna** (dec.) _nee Laurel_

Brother, **Oliver**, 19 _(Nicholas Hoult)_

Step mother, **Rochelle**

Step brother, **Thomas**, 9 _(Charlie Tahan)_

Step sister, **Angie**, 5 _(Emily Alyn Lind)_

**_Laurel_**

Aunt **Jenny** (dec.) (Mum's youngest sister)

**_Vella_**

Aunt **Luci** (Mum's younger sister) _nee Laurel_

Uncle **Tony**

Cousin, **Olivia**, 15 _(Ryan Newman)_

Cousin, **Syan,** 13 _(Erica Bierman)_

**_Lipstein_**

Aunt **Meryl** (Dad's older sister) _nee Astin_

Uncle **Barry**

Cousin, **Jace**

Cousin, **Skylar**, 25

Cousin, **Milan**

Cousin, **Brielle**, 16

* * *

**Skylar's Family**

**_Kendrick_**

Dad, **John**

Mum, **Alissa**

Half sister, **Rachel**, 26 _(Katie Cassidy)_

Sister, **Rory**, 14_ (Isabelle Fuhrman)_

Sister, **Logan**, 14 _(Hailee Steinfeld)_

Brother, **Alex**, 10 _(Mason Cook)_

Uncle **William**

Aunt **Janice**_ nee Cooke_

Cousin,** Anna**, 28

Cousin, **Michael**, 30

* * *

**Beca's Family**

**_Mitchell_**

Dad, **Nixon**

Brother, **Tyler**, 17 _(Xavier Samuel)_

Brother, **Noa**h, 15 _(Colin Ford)_

Step Monster,** Sheila**

Half sibling, **Robert** (unborn)

**_Campbell_**

Mum, **Clodagh**

Step Dad, **Paul**

Half brother, **Zane**, 8 _(Ty Panitz)_

Half brother,** Malik**, 5 _(Colin Baiocchi)_

* * *

**Jesse's Family**

**_Swanson_**

Dad, **Larry**

Mum, **Ann**

Brother, **Andy**, 23 _(Brant Daugherty)_

Sister, **Danielle**, 22 _(Leighton Meester)_

Sister, **Eleanor**, 16 _(Ciara Bravo)_

Sister, **Gemma**, 16 _(Maia Mitchell)_

Brother, **Josh**, 13 _(Zachary Gordon)_

Sister, **Charlotte**, 13 _(Ashley Boettcher)_


	11. Chapter 8

**I was going to have this up yesterday, but decided it wasn't long enough and wanted to add more into it. So, this is the next chapter. It's partly a flashback to the party (which is in ****_italics_****), so I hope you don't get confused.**

**Gossipssweetlips:**** Thanks, I thought "what's the one thing that would make Beca really snap?" And I realised that Sheila being pregnant would definitely do the trick. Yes, the aftermath will be interesting. Things will be quiet strained between Beca / the Bellas / the Trebles and Dr Mitchell for a while, I think. Yeah, and especially because it was the four new Bellas, like, they've all only known Beca for less than 24 hours but they're willing to stand up and protect her, because they are a family. Thank you so much, your reviews are the best!**

**Guest:**** Thank you!**

**SwiftPayneCastleBeale:**** Hello, thank you. Ain't that thoughtful of you :p Love Beca!**

**ycwmppbc (Guest): ****Yeah, Beca gets to speak her mind! Thank you!**

**Princessnina070:**** Yeah, I think Beca would be really, really protective of her younger brothers and wouldn't want her dad to hurt them. Haha yeah I was pretty proud of that :p**

**Halley (guest):**** It will always be the time differences :p Yep you caught me, I love you. You are my bitching partner. **

**Storyreader123:**** I know!**

**Guest:**** Yep, they all have pretty big families!**

**Passerby (guest):**** Yes well I quite like him too, but it's setting the scene for later in the story. Fanfiction allows writers to create whatever they want and have whatever characters that they would like. Besides, have you never heard that everyone has a double somewhere in the world? Also, I would appreciate it if from now on any reviews for my story or The Perfect Pitch by LaudHalley were positive. **

**Zoe (guest):**** Thank you! Love you Zoe! You're going to get a little cameo :p**

**_Disclaimer:_**** I don't own anything. Except for Anna, Skylar, Halley, Sarah and Christina. I do own them. And the families I made up for everyone.**

* * *

**Third Person POV**

Unicycle slowly walks back into the room being supported by Aubrey. Aubrey sits down on the ground and Uni lays down, resting his head on the blonde's lap.

Everyone in the room watches Beca carefully, all able to see her walls rebuilding themselves at a hundred miles per second.

"Beca?" Jesse asks cautiously.

That one word is all it takes to send Beca running. She abruptly pushes through Anna, Halley, Christina and Sarah and walks out of the room. She quickly makes her way upstairs to her bedroom, where she closes the door and slides down it as she feels the tears silently begin to run down her cheeks.

Jesse, Anna, Chloe, Stacie, Benji and Amy all run up the stairs after her and knock on the door, trying to convince her to let one of them in; it doesn't matter which one she lets in, so long as she lets someone in.

After 15 minutes of gently tapping on the door, begging Beca to open up, bashing on the door with their fists, and Jesse even trying to force the door open only to discover it is being blocked by something (little does he know it is Beca herself keeping the door shut), Aubrey makes her way down the hallway to them.

"Let me." She says to the six crowded around the door of the master bedroom.

They all look at her in shock – including Chloe. Sure, Beca and Aubrey are on better terms now than they were last year, but never in a million years did anyone expect to see the day that Aubrey Posen voluntarily attempts to comfort Beca Mitchell.

"You guys go downstairs. I'll talk to her." Aubrey says gently.

"But… you and Beca…" Jesse stutters. "You… you can't comfort her!"

Aubrey smiles ruefully. "The one thing Beca and I have in common is the fact that we both have dads who keep hurting us."

Chloe nods in understanding and begins walking away. Amy follows her lead, and Benji trails behind the Australian. Stacie nods once at Aubrey before leaving.

"Just… Don't let her do anything stupid. Please." Anna whispers, looking down at her own wrists briefly before looking Aubrey in the eye.

Aubrey catches the meaning in the look and nods her head. "I promise."

Anna begins walking away but stops at the top of the stairs and looks back. "Come on Jesse. There's nothing you can do now. Let Aubrey talk to her alone."

Jesse looks so lost and torn, but walks to Anna. The smaller girl grabs hold of his hand comfortingly and tugs him down the stairs with her. Both are praying to god that Aubrey can help Beca in some way.

"Beca." Aubrey says, gently knocking on the door. "Can you let me in please? The others have all gone downstairs."

Aubrey herself is surprised when the door swings open to reveal Beca, looking so utterly tired of everything. It almost scares Aubrey, the defeat on the smaller girl's face. Aubrey is used to seeing fire and defiance and an undeniable passion in Beca's eyes, but all she can see now is flatness.

Beca stares blankly at Aubrey. "What?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Beca says shortly.

"Can I come in, then? For if you decide you would like to talk?"

Beca nods her head and allows the taller girl to walk into the room. She closes the door again before walking over to the bed and sitting down, crossing her legs. She picks at the dark blue nail polish on her fingers and can feel Aubrey's gaze on her.

Beca sighs before mumbling, "He's such a dick."

"Yeah," Aubrey agrees, "But he is still your dad. No matter how much you wish you could, you can't choose your family."

"I know." Beca whispers. "It's just that… He left us. He left, but acts like everything's ok. He said to me last year about how much he tries to make things right between us, and I know he does, but the fact is that he chose to leave us in the first place. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him for that. No matter how much he tries to fix it, it will never be the same and he needs to realise that."

"I think he came to that realisation today." Aubrey points out.

"Yeah, me too. Do you think it was uncalled for, what I said?"

"No, I think he needed to hear it. He needed to hear your side of the story and how his decisions have affected you. I think it was definitely a big wake-up call, though."

Beca sighs and rests her head on Aubrey's shoulder. The older girl wraps her arm tightly, comfortingly, around Beca's back. It is definitely a sight to behold, the two girls who were constantly at each other's throats last year slowly changing into friends.

After a bit over half an hour or so of talking and just sitting with each other, Aubrey and Beca slowly walk down the stairs and into the loungeroom. Everyone is sitting on the floor eating pancakes.

"We saved you some pancakes." Anna says as the two girls walk in. "I put them in the oven to keep warm for you."

They both smile at her, knowing she really isn't as badass as she wants people to think.

"Thanks sweetie. Who cooked them? I don't know if I trust some of the people here to cook food."

Anna chuckles lightly. "Jessica, Chloe, Sarah and I made them."

"Ok, I think I trust you guys to cook." Aubrey laughs.

It doesn't go unnoticed that Beca doesn't talk, she doesn't even look at anyone, including Jesse. He doesn't know which breaks his heart more: the look of brokenness on her face, or the fact that she won't let him help her.

The pair walk into the kitchen, get their pancakes out of the oven, and come back to join the others, sitting on the floor beside each other.

"So, now that we're all here, can we clarify what occurred last night, because I can remember jack shit." Donald states.

"Ummm… we came back here for an afterparty," Halley begins, "And started playing Truth or dare. Stacie and Beca did body shots and Aubrey and Unicycle made out heavily."

"I can remember that much." Donald says. "What I can't remember is after Anna and Skylar had Seven Minutes Of Heaven and Anna ran off.

"Well…" Christina begins.

* * *

_Beca and Anna arrived back at the Bella house about an hour after they had left, both looking much happier._

_Beca walked over to Jesse, who was standing off to the side of the group._

_"Is she ok?" He asked, motioning with his head towards Anna who was being bombarded with apologies, especially from Stacie, Fat Amy and Unicycle._

_Beca nodded her head. "Yeah, she's fine. She just needed someone to talk to, I think."_

_Jesse nodded in understanding._

_"Was she going to…" He trailed off and motioned at his wrists._

_Beca's eyebrows shot up. "How do you…?"_

_"I saw them when we were in the pool."_

_"Oh..." Beca said slowly. "No, she wasn't going to do that. She'd called one of her friends to talk to, which made her feel better."_

_"Ok." Jesse nodded his head, wrapping his arms around Beca._

_"Let's do Spin The Bottle!" Jessica exclaimed excitedly._

_Everyone groaned in response, but formed a circle on the ground. Jess grinned in excitement and spun the bottle. It landed on hat. They crawled towards each other and kissed. The spun the bottle and it landed on Donald and Beca, then Aubrey and Amy, then Jesse and Skylar, then Christina and Mateo, then Sarah and Jesse, and then the bottle landed on Chloe and Beca._

_"I don't know if I should allow this kiss, considering your history of shower-sharing." Jesse stated seriously._

_"It was one time!" Chloe slurred drunkenly. "One time, Jess! Come on Becaaaaaaaa... Give your favourite ginger a kiss!"_

_Beca went over and to Chloe and quickly pressed their lips to each other passionately._

_"WHOOOOOOO YOU GO GIRLIES!" Fat Amy screamed._

_Everyone cheered excitedly, bar Jesse, who watched on in jealousy. Only he was allowed to kiss his girlfriend like that. Only he was allowed to have her wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. But, there Beca was, kissing Chloe, pulling Chloe closer to her. Sure, they were drunk and just completing their spin for the game, but he'd always been slightly unsure as to Chloe's sexual orientation, especially towards Beca._

_Finally, Beca and Chloe pulled apart, both slightly breathless and grinning happily. They spun the bottle and it landed on Skylar... and Anna._

_Anna's face paled and Beca looked at the younger girl, immediately reaching for the bottle. "You don't have to do this. I can spin it again."_

_"No, I don't deserve any special treatment. Just..." Anna sighed. "I'll do it."_

_Skylar grinned and winked at her. Anna quickly made her way across the circle to him and knelt down in front of him. She took a deep breath and looked into his brown eyes which were staring back at her in anticipation. She leant forward and pressed her lips to his. Immediately, she felt his hands move to her hips and her own hands went up around his neck. She leant further into the kiss and allowed him to deepen it as his hands tightened their hold on her hips. They kissed for what seemed an eternity before they finally pulled apart._

_All of the other Bellas and Trebles (and Aubrey and Chloe) were all cheering. Everyone had been able to feel the sexual tension between the pair for the entire night, and it had been starting to suffocate them all. Anna tried to leave to go and sit back down in her spot on the other side of the circle, but Skylar wouldn't let her go._

_"Guys, you've gotta spin the bottle." Chloe pointed out._

_"Actually, I was thinking we should maybe go to sleep." Aubrey said. "You know, seeing as it is almost 3am."_

_"I agree with Aubrey." Beca said, standing up and pulling Jesse with her. She drags him over to the couch and pushes him down onto it, collapsing on top of him._

_Anna manages to pull herself out of Skylar's grasp and quickly walks over to where Halley, Sarah and Christina were all making themselves comfortable on the floor, using each other's legs as pillows. Skylar watched her go and lie down with the other new Bellas and wished she'd stayed with him. He just wanted to hold her, to watch her chest rise and fall with every breath she took._

_As Anna placed her head on Halley's lap, she didn't know what she was doing. She had wanted to stay with Skylar, let him hold her while she slept. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the kiss, because she did. She fucking loved that kiss; it was amazing. And it wasn't because she didn't feel anything for him, because as much as tried to deny it she knew she did. It was because she was scared. Scared because everyone she's ever cared about has left her. Scared because really, she doesn't know how to love anyone. Scared because she doesn't think she can cope with having her heart broken again._

* * *

**Anna's POV**

I look over at Skylar as I recall the events that had occurred hours earlier. _'Maybe he can't remember it.'_ I think hopefully.

I walk over to Skylar as Stacie begins reciting the events that had occurred during Spin The Bottle and gently kick his leg to get his attention. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah sure." He answers, standing up and following me out into the hallway.

"Can you remember anything from last night?" I ask nervously.

"Ummm... Not much." He reveals. "I think I drank way too much. Why? Did I do anything stupid?"

"Oh ok..." I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or disappointed that he can't remember it. "No, I don't think you did anything out of the ordinary."

He smiles at me. "Ok, that's good then."

I nod my head and look down at the ground.

He reaches underneath my chin and tips my head up to look at him. "Hey, are you alright?"

I look at him and force a smile onto my face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

**Third Person POV**

As Skylar and Anna walk back into the room, he can't help but think that maybe he said the wrong thing.

Maybe he should have told her the truth.

Maybe he should have admitted to remembering exactly what had transpired between the two of them during the night.

It's just that, he'd thought he was doing the right thing. He didn't think Anna would want a relationship.

He'd thought that she would want to pretend it didn't happen.

Judging by the way she won't look him in the eye anymore, he was wrong.

* * *

**And there we have it. That's all for this chapter, my dears. Hope it's ok :) **

**Thoughts? Skyna hookup? Bechloe kiss? Jealous Jesse? Beca/Aubrey moment?  
**

**Also, is there anything that anyone would like to see happen in this story? I will try to write requests / suggestions in unless they'll mess with the general plot of the story.**

**Within the next few chapters something absolutely beautiful will happen between Skylar and Anna, which I am so keen for! I'd like to thank my dearest Olivia for helping me with that cutesy part which is coming up very, very soon!**


	12. Chapter 9

**Okie dokie, in this chapter we get to know Beca's brothers! Yay! This chapter is mainly Beca and her brothers, and Jeca, and the next chapter will probably focus on Skyna.**

**Ok, review responses...**

**gossipssweetlips:**** Yeah, I thought it really needed to be Aubrey to comfort Beca, because they are so alike. This is definitely the start of a good friendship! Yeah, Beca did shut him out quite a bit. Jesse was definitely right to be jealous of the BeChloe kiss. It will all be briefly explained in this chapter! Yay for Skyna! Well, something happens between them in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that one! As for Beca's brothers, here you go!**

**Passerby:**** No there won't really be any of those moments haha. Ooooh do we have a Castle fan in our midst? Actually, I may just put that in, because the ICCA finals do happen to be in New York... :D great idea.**

**Oliviab13:**** Yes youuuuuuu. Good girl. Yay, thanks!**

**ballpointmf:**** thanks, glad you like it.**

**Guest: Thanks!**

**Halley (guest): ****I love you too, H! You are such a lazy little shit, not even signing in to review :p kidding! School wifi always sucks. Don't fret, pet, you are my bitching buddy. Well, I own the character Halley. She is based on you, but she is not you, so I own her. However, I will give you a shoutout when I add your embarassing moments into a chapter :p**

**princessnina070:**** Yeah, jealous Jesse is brilliant! I loved writing that part where Skylar didn't want to let Anna go.**

**Anaeira (guest):**** Glad you liked it! No, definitely no BeChloe I don't ship BeChloe, I was just trying to keep the BeChloe fans sated, so you don't have to worry about anything happening with Beca and Chloe. Yeah, something interesting happens with Skylar and Anna in the chapter after this one!**

**_Disclaimer:_**** I don't own Pitch Perfect or any of the songs mentioned in this chapter.**

* * *

**Beca's POV**

It's been a week tomorrow since Dad told me that he and Sheila are expecting their little bundle of joy. I haven't spoken to Jesse about it. I haven't spoken to anyone about it actually, except for Aubrey who I have found myself calling at ungodly hours of the night to talk to.

I know I've been putting my walls back up and shutting Jesse out. I don't necessarily want to be shutting him out, it's just that… really, I don't know how to let people in.

Aubrey's and my evolving friendship has shocked everyone, including ourselves. It's weird, being able to talk to her so easily after how much we despised each other last year. It's nice though. Aubrey gets me. She understands how I want to prove myself to my father and show him that he was wrong to ever doubt me, whereas Anna… she just wants to have as little to do with her father as possible.

It's six in the morning and I decide to get up so I can set up the things for 'Bella Bootcamp' which is starting today and will be held once every week until the ICCA Finals. Assuming we get to the Finals, that is.

I walk downstairs and into the basement, whivh is now our official rehearsal space. I pull out some spongy mats to do sit-ups on, because the ground down here is just cement and I don't think it'll be overly enjoyable to do sit-ups on that.

I am positioning the mats when I hear a soft knocking. I ignore it, thinking I must be going nuts because no one other than me is stupid enough to be up this early in the morning. Usually I'm not awake this early myself, but being the leader of the Bellas kind of changes things. And I haven't been sleeping well lately, anyway.

I hear another knock and huff out a sigh, stomping up the stairs. I assume it's Amy. She disappeared at about 11.30 last night and hasn't returned yet, as far as I'm aware. Another knock comes when I'm about a metre away from the door.

"I'm coming!" I hiss, not wanting to wake the rest of the house. "Geeze Amy…" I swing the door open and falter when, instead of Fat Amy, I see two young guys. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I screech at my two younger brothers.

"Ummm… Do you know about Sheila?" Tyler asks me.

I nod my head at them. "Yeah. So he told you guys then?"

Noah nods. "They Skyped with us last night and told us."

"I fucking hate her!" Tyler exclaims. "And I hate him for choosing her over us!"

"Language!" I hiss at him. Sure, I curse on a daily basis, but Noah is only 15. I try not to swear in front of him. He's still a baby in my eyes.

Tyler shrugs his shoulders indifferently.

"You are impossible." I sigh but smile at him.

"Shit happens." Both boys say at the same time, making me laugh.

"You guys are so weird."

"Says the girl who has tattoos, a scary earspike and aspires to be the hottest badass DJ ever, but idolises Taylor Swift who is the most normal, least scary celebrity ever." Tyler says and I glare at him.

"Good call, bro!" Noah says and they high-five each other.

"Hang on a minute, how did you guys get here?" I ask them.

Noah immediately points to Tyler who says, "I drove."

"It's a five hour drive from home to here!" I exclaim, my voice an octave higher than usual.

"Yeah, so?" Tyler asks.

"You would have had to have left home at one o'clock in the fucking morning!"

"Language!" Noah jokingly scolds me.

I throw him a glare before turning back to Tyler. "That means you drove across America in the middle of the night!"

Both boys nod their heads, giving me a tell-us-something-we-don't-know look.

"Does Mum know?!" I exclaim.

"We left her a note saying we were coming here to visit you." Noah says.

I close my eyes. "Brilliant. That's just great, guys. Now I'm gonna get into shit because you two dumbasses are absolute fucking morons!"

"Whoa, it's not our fault that our dick of a father got his fancy new wife knocked up so we felt the need to come and make sure our emotionally unstable sister was ok." Tyler says.

"And what, you couldn't have just called or Skyped me?"

"We thought our big sissy might want a hug." Noah says in a baby voice and both of them throw their arms around me, sandwiching me between their two tall bodies.

"I hate you guys." I grumble from where my face is squashed between their two chests, but hug them back anyway.

* * *

The boys watch our rehearsal, very patiently I might add considering they are teenage boys, and we're still in the process of deciding on songs to sing for the Fall Mixer.

Chloe and Aubrey drop by to see how we're going and falter slightly when they see Tyler and Noah, until I explain that they're my brothers. After that, Chloe tries to occupy them while the rest of us all disagree over what songs we should sing.

In the end, we decide to sing _Party In The USA_, _Just The Way You Are_ / _Just A Dream_, _No Diggity_, and our finals mash-up for the Fall Mixer. Halley will pick up Chloe's solos and Christina and Anna are splitting Aubrey's between the two of them. We even begin to decide on songs for the ICCAs, which don't even start for two months.

"_Best Song Ever_ by One Direction!" Sarah suggests.

"No." Halley states simply.

"NO!" Fat Amy screeches. "WE ARE SINGING NONE OF THAT GIRLY BOYBAND SHIT!"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Anna says thoughtfully. "I mean, at the moment we have _Hall Of Fame_, _Never Let Me Go_, and _We Are Who We Are_. _Best Song Ever_ would fit in really well."

"Thank you!" Sarah exclaims.

"Ok, well then, Anna, Cynthia Rose, Aubrey, Chloe and I will try to work an arrangement of those songs and we'll get back to you." I say to the group.

"Those goddamn cabbage patch kids are taking over the world." I hear Fat Amy grumble to Ashley as they walk up the stairs and out of the basement.

I roll my eyes at her and walk over to the boys. "So what'd you think?"

"When you weren't arguing over songs and choreography?" Noah asks cheekily and I swat at him. "It was ok. I've seen better."

I shake my head, laughing at him. "Yeah whatever. It's not like you could do better."

"Want a bet?" He grins.

"We could kick your ass into next week." Tyler adds cockily.

"I'd like to see that." I scoff. My brothers are really the only people who can bring out my intensive competitiveness.

"You're on. Next time you come to Mum's place, we are going to a karaoke competition." Tyler challenges.

I narrow my eyes at him and stick out my hand. "Deal."

"Deal." He shakes my hand.

* * *

I'm leading the boys across the campus to show them the radio station when we run into Jesse. I try to take the boys on an alternate route and pretend I haven't seen Jesse, but that boy is nothing if not persistent.

"Beca! Hey Beca, wait up!" He yells out to me.

I sigh and slow my steps down until I have stopped moving completely, Tyler and Noah standing on either side of me.

"Hey, how are you? I haven't heard from you in ages!" Jesse says.

I've noticed he's been awfully clingy since the Initiation Night after party. It's almost as though he doesn't trust me, and I don't know why not.

"You saw me yesterday. Remember, at the station during our shift? We were there from 5 until 10 last night." I point out.

"Yeah but that's work, Beca. I mean, I haven't really seen you like this. Out of the station, I mean. How are you?"

"I'm fine." I say bluntly. "Look, I'm showing Ty and Noah around ok, so I'll see you later."

"Tyler and Noah your brothers?" He questions me. We've both told each other about our families before, and I've met his but he hasn't met anyone except for my Dad.

"Yeah, my brothers." I say, knowing I won't get away from him now.

"Hey guys, I'm Jesse!" He introduces himself, shaking their hands.

"And who is this attentive young man, my dear Beca?" Tyler asks, smirking at me.

I glare at him, keeping my mouth shut.

Tyler's smirk grows and Jesse looks at me in confusion, wondering why my brother doesn't know who he is.

"Beca…?" Jesse asks, the hurt evident in his voice.

"He's my boyfriend, ok!" I exclaim. "Are you happy now, sticky-beak?" I look at Tyler.

"Well mother will be pleased to hear of this new development." He says.

"Mother," I growl at him, "Already knows of this new development."

Both boys' mouths fall open. "Why didn't she tell us?!" Noah exclaims.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because it's none of your business!" I respond.

Jesse squeezes in between Tyler and I and takes my hand gently. Despite my annoyance at both my brothers and Jesse, I look up at him. When I see him smiling down at e I can't help but give a soft smile back. That seems to make him happy, as he squeezes my hand before intertwining our fingers together loosely. Together we walk towards the station with Tyler and Noah. When we step into the back room which is now almost like hometo Jesse and I, Tyler wrinkles his nose in distaste.

"This is terrible. How are you guys able to stand working here?"

Noah, on the other hand, takes in his surroundings happily. "This is awesome! I wish I worked somewhere like here!"

That's my boy. Noah's always been far more like me than Tyler. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Ty too, but he's more into sports whereas Noah loves music like me. Thankfully, Noah does not have my sense of moodiness. He is one of the happiest, nicest teenage boys ever, I swear!

"Where do you work?" Jesse asks him, sounding genuinely interested.

I use this as my chance to slip away and give Luke my USB of mixes to play if he wants.

* * *

**Third Person POV**

As soon as Beca is out of sight, the brothers turn on Jesse.

"So Jesse…" Tyler says menacingly. "What are you doing with our sister?"

"Dating her?" Jesse answers, but it sounds more like a question than an answer.

"And what are your intentions toward her? If you're just with her for the thrill of the chase you better leave while you're ahead because that girl has baggage." Noah warns.

"She needs someone who will always be there for her, someone who won't judge her for her past, someone who will support her and have her back no matter what. Someone who she can trust with anything and everything." Tyler adds.

Despite the fact that both of Beca's brothers are younger than him, Jesse feels intimidated by them.

"Look, I know that Beca's scared to love anyone because of what happened with your parents, but I'm not going to leave her. I will always be there for her, even when she doesn't want me there. I just want to make her happy. I love her."

Noah nods, seemingly happy with the answer.

Tyler, however, looks at Jesse in shock. "She's only told you about Mum and Dad?"

"Yeah. Why? Did something else happen?" Jesse asks curiously.

"Uh yeah…" Tyler says slowly and realisation dawns on Noah's face when he realises what his older brother is talking about. "But it's not really our place to tell you."

Jesse nods. "That's ok. She'll tell me when she's ready.

* * *

**Beca's POV**

Noah and Tyler stay with us for another two days. Everyone is more than happy for them to stay in the Bella house. I let them have my room and I spend the first night on a blow-up mattress on the floor of Stacie and Anna's room. All of the new Bellas have moved into the house, too. Anna is sharing with Stacie, in the room closest to mine. Halley is sharing with Jessica, Christina with Cynthia Rose, and Sarah with Ashley. We definitely have an interesting mix of girls. Halley has got to be the most uncoordinated person I have ever met; she's worse than me. Christina is a nutcase. Some of the things that come out of that girl's mouth is insane! Sarah seems to be relatively normal, but she'd give Chloe a run for her money as being happiest person on the planet. And then there's Anna. I don't quite know what to make of the youngest Bella. She is gorgeous, and so very much like me. I know how broken she is, and how scared she is. When she's with the other Bellas, or Skylar and Jesse, she is so happy and she just lets herself forget about everything. But then when Stacie is staying over at the Treble house I can hear Anna crying to herself in bed. And I know she has nightmares. She sleep talks and sleep walks. Last night she woke the whole house, including Tyler and Noah, up with her screams. I was staying over and Jesse's then, and Christina and Sarah burst through the door of Jesse's room, shouting at me to wake up because Anna was inconsolable. And she was. I was over at our house in under a minute, trying to comfort her. In the end, all of the Bellas and Tyler, Noah, Jesse, and Skylar got comfortable and stayed in her room for the rest of the night.

The last two nights, I've stayed at the Treble house and slept in Jesse's room. All of the Trebles give us shit for it, but I honestly couldn't care less. During our 'sleep-overs' we discussed the party and how my kiss with Chloe made him feel.

_"I'm sorry." I said as I rested my head on his chest. "I just… I've always been a bit unsure about me and Chloe. About how we felt about each other. I was experimenting, I guess."_

_"And?" He wondered._

_"And, there was no spark. There's a spark when I'm with you, but not with her. She's just my best friend. You have nothing to worry about, I promise. I'm all yours."_

Mum caught the train down here to pick the boys up today. She was less than happy with them. And me. And Dad. And just about the whole world, to be honest. However, she seemed to brighten when I introduced her to Jesse and he took us both out to lunch. As with every other female on the planet, Jesse Swanson has my mother wrapped around his little finger, using his charm to have her under his spell in seconds.

I handed out the mashup that Cynthia Rose, Anna, Aubrey, Chloe and I have created for our first ICCA performance today and asked who wanted which solos. Cynthia Rose, Stacie, Christina, Halley, and Fat Amy all put their hands up. I'd already decided which parts I wanted to have for my solo. However, there were seven solos and only six of us wanted one. Luckily, I have the perfect idea for who would do the remaining solo.

"So, I'm going to get Anna to do the other solo." I say to Jesse as we sit out in the quad. It's just hit nightfall and the stars are all coming out above us.

"I didn't think Anna liked solos?" Jesse questions.

"She doesn't. But she has an amazing voice. I mean, you heard her audition!" I rest my head on his chest. "Besides, I think she needs a confidence boost."

"It's really sweet how you're looking out for her." He mumbles into my hair.

"She's kind of like the sister I always wanted but never got." I explain.

"Your Mum and brothers are great." He says.

I smile at that. I'm glad Jesse likes my family. "I love you, Jess." I tell him for the first time.

His arms tighten around me and he smiles into my hair as he replies, "I love you too, Becs."

* * *

**So, what did you think of Tyler and Noah? How do you think Anna will react to being given a solo? Did you like Beca saying "I love you" for the first time?**

**Review away, my dears!**


	13. Chapter 10

**Ok, I would just like to prewarn everyone that this chapter is basically just fluff. I would like to thank Oliviab13 for being such a creative genius and helping me compile the song for this chapter. You, my dear, are amazing! I hope this is ok, it was a bit hard to write Skylar and Anna together like this for the first time, so let me know what you think!**

**HHer-PitchSlap-HOA:**** Haha yeah sorry about that. It will come up again later. Beca's going to confide in Anna fairly soon. Glad you liked Jeca!**

**princessnina070:**** Haha yeah I love the boys, they are so fun to write! Glad you liked the ending!**

**gossipssweetlips: Yeah, I'm glad Jesse and Beca are better too! Haha I loved writing Tyler and Noah! It will all be revealed soon.**

**Halley (guest): Yeah whatever you lazy little shit. You are so stingey :p kidding! You most definitely are uncoordinated! Sorry, I'll add in some more of your embarrassing shit later. Glad you liked it! Love you too H!**

**Oliviab13: Awww thanks. Haha of course you are. Well, here it is.**

**JessicaYip792: Thank you so much!**

**SwiftPayneCastleBeale: For now. Lots of love, Beca.**

**_Disclaimer: _I don't own _Pitch Perfect, E.T._ or any of the songs used. However, I do own the way the songs are mixed together.**

* * *

**Anna's POV**

I can not believe Beca gave me a solo. I didn't even want one! I tried to get someone else to do it for me, but none of them would. So, now I have to do it. It's not really that bad, I guess. I mean, it's just _Hall Of Fame_, which I love. Still, I don't sing in front of audiences. And to make it worse, we've been practicing the song for over a month and I still keep stuffing it up. The first round of the ICCAs starts three days after my 18th birthday, which is in exactly two weeks.

Things have been weird with Skylar ever since the after party. It's been a month and a half now, and I just… I don't know. I don't know what he wants. I don't know what I want. Life is so difficult sometimes!

I stay down in the basement after we finish rehearsal and the others leave. I have got to get my fucking solo right!

_"You can be the greatest, you can be the best  
__You can be the King Kong banging on your chest  
__You could beat the world, you could beat the war  
__You could talk to God, go banging on his door  
__You can run the distance, you can go the mile  
__You can walk straight through hell with a smile…"_

I scream in frustration as my voice slides and misses the note, again. I grab the closest thing to me – Halley's water bottle – and turn, throwing it as hard as I can towards the back wall. It explodes and water splashes everywhere.

I hear guitar music from behind me and turn to see Skylar standing at the bottom of the basement stairs, his eyes on me. My eyes widen as he begins singing, his eyes never straying from mine.

_"Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me  
__But bear this in mind, it was meant to be  
__And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks  
__And it all makes sense to me…"_

* * *

**Skylar's POV**

I slowly, silently walk down the stairs and into the basement just in time to hear Anna's clear voice miss the note she was aiming for. She screams in annoyance, making me jump in surprise, and throws a water bottle at the back wall. It breaks and water flies everywhere.

_'Well, no time like the present.'_ I think and begin to strum my guitar.

She whirls around in surprise and her eyes latch onto mine as her mouth falls open in shock. I begin singing, my eyes never leaving hers.

_"Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me  
__But bear this in mind, it was meant to be  
__And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks  
__And it all makes sense to me_

_When she was just a girl she expected the world  
__But it flew away from her reach  
__And the bullets catch in her teeth  
__Life goes on, it gets so heavy  
__The wheel breaks the butterfly  
__Every tear a waterfall  
__In the night, the stormy night she'll close her eyes  
__In the night, the stormy night away she'd fly  
__And dream of para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise  
__And so lying underneath those stormy skies  
__She'd say, "Oh I know the sun must set to rise."  
__This could be para-para-paradise_

_And it's dark in a cold December but I've got you to keep me warm  
__If you're broken I will mend you  
__And I'll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on  
__Now I'm out of touch, I'm out of love  
__I'll pick you up when you're getting down  
__And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now  
__I'm out of sight, out of mind  
__I'll do it all for you in time  
__And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now_

_'Cause all I know is we said "Hello"  
__And your eyes look like coming home  
__All I know is a simple name  
__Everything has changed  
__All I know is you held the door  
__You'll be mine and I'll be yours  
__All I know since yesterday is everything has changed…"_

I watch as her hand slowly makes its way up to cover her mouth and tears silently make tracks down her cheeks. I smile to myself. I think this is actually working.

_"And all along I believed I would find you  
__Time has brought your heart to me  
__I have loved you for a thousand years  
__I'll love you for a thousand more_

_It's like I've lived a thousand lifetimes  
__Still looking for the one that feels right  
__See, moving on just isn't working  
__You lit the fire that I burn in  
__And all I've been doin' is protecting  
__A lie for the sake of my pride  
__While all the others set me thinking  
__Straight to the point of what I'm feeling  
__We could be more than just amazing_

_You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you  
__And you'll never treat yourself right darling, but I want you to  
__If I let you know I'm here for you  
__Maybe you'll love yourself like I love you  
__Come back and tell me why  
__I'm feeling like I missed you all this time  
__And meet me there tonight  
__And let me know that it's not all in my mind  
__I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better  
__All I know is we said "Hello"  
__So dust off your highest hopes  
__All I know is pouring rain and everything has changed  
__All I know is a newfound grace  
__All my thoughts will know your face_

_They don't know how special you are  
T__hey don't know what you've done to my heart  
__They can say anything they want  
__'Cause they don't know us  
__They don't know what we do best  
__That's between me and you, our little secret  
__But I wanna tell 'em  
__I want to tell the world that you're mine, girl."_

Anna stares at me, unmoving, unblinking, it doesn't even look like she's breathing.

"Oh my God." She whispers finally.

"Sooooo…" I say slowly. "Ummm… I remember the kiss we had at the party during Spin The Bottle. I never forgot. I just thought you'd want to pretend it didn't happen, so that's what I did. But, I'm sick of pretending I don't feel something for you. So, to cut to the chase, will you be my girlfriend?"

She raises an eyebrow at me. "That's how you're asking me out?"

I smirk at her. "Yep. Simple, but effective."

She rolls her eyes at me and laughs. "Fine. You can take me out to dinner. But I am not your girlfriend. You will have to court me and woo me first."

"Who even says 'woo' anymore?" I ask, seriously considering my own question.

"I do." She answers simply. "I like fancy old words."

"Oh, I've noticed. 'Marvellous', 'superb', 'woo', 'court', 'fancy'." I imitate her.

"Shut up!" She exclaims, but smiles at me anyway.

"Wanna go upstairs and watch a movie? _E.T._, maybe?" I question.

She sighs in exhaustion. "I can't. I have to get my solo right."

"Ok then. How about you practice for another half hour and then we watch a movie?"

She rolls her eyes at my persistence. "You're not going to give up on this, are you?"

I shake my head in determination. "Nope. As my… courtee… you must watch my favourite movies and I must watch yours. It is an integral part of the whole 'wooing' thing."

She laughs at my stupidity. "You are a dickhead."

I grin. "You don't mind, clearly."

"Don't push it." She states.

* * *

**Anna's POV**

Skylar serenaded me. Skylar Kendrick actually serenaded me. And it was beautiful. Somehow, he managed to find out all of my favourite songs. I bet it was Halley, Stacie or Beca who divulged that information to him. Possibly all three of them. I'll have to sit them down and have words with them later. If anyone knows about any of this, I will lose all of my badass cred.

"I swear to god," I warn Skylar as we walk up the stairs of the basement together, "If anyone finds out about this, you're goin' down, Kendrick."

"Don't worry, this is just between us." He promises and his hand gently brushes against mine.

"It bloody better be." I grumble.

"So…" Stacie eyes the two of us as we emerge from the basement. "Did you get it?"

"Get what?" Skylar asks too innocently.

Stacie smirks at us before looking at me. "Your solo? Did you get it?"

"Yes actually, I did." I grin proudly.

After six attempts with Skylar watching me, I finally nailed it. I was ecstatic and he was pleased for me, so we're both in pretty good moods at the moment. I don't think anything could ruin my mood.

"So munchkin, ya get laid?" Fat Amy asks as she saunters into the room.

And apparently I spoke too soon.

"That's really none of your business whether I did or not." I respond, causing Skylar to choke beside me. I look up at him and grin sweetly. "It's not any of her business what we get up to in our spare time, is it?"

He shakes his head rapidly. "Nope. That's between me and you, our little secret."

I grin at him as he says my favourite lyrics from _They Don't Know About Us_.

Stacie begins laughing at us. "You guys are just too cute. You're gonna have to be careful, Astin. You might lose your badass reputation pretty soon."

I glare at her. "I begin to lose my badass reputation and I'll be using you to demonstrate how badass I really am."

She mimes locking her mouth and throwing away the key. She opens her mouth again suddenly. "Oh, but can I tell Beca and Halley that the songs worked?"

"So it was you three." I say as my earlier suspicions are confirmed. "Well, we will all be having a little discussion on confidentiality later tonight."

"Why later tonight instead of now?" She asks curiously.

"Because dear Anna is going to watch _E.T._ with me, and then I'm taking her out to dinner." Skylar announces proudly.

"What? You guys are going out for dinner?!" Chloe's red head pops around the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yep." Skylar confirms proudly.

"Oh good god." I mutter. "Now everyone will know."

"ANNA HAS A DATE WITH SKYLAR!" Chloe all but screams and I facepalm.

"See?" I say to Skylar. "I told you."

* * *

"So what did you think of it?" Skylar asks me as we walk out of the Bella house after watching _E.T._

"You mean when I wasn't too busy sleeping?" I joke. I had fallen asleep at least twice on his shoulder during the course of that movie, much to Skylar's horror.

"Yes, when you weren't sleeping."

"It wasn't too bad." I say. "It was pretty cute, but the special effects kind of sucked."

"What was your favourite part of it?"

"'ET phone home'." I imitate the little alien's voice, which makes both Skylar and I laugh.

"You know, I don't think you'd be much taller than ET." Skylar says with a straight face.

"Jerk!" I laugh, punching his chest as we walk.

"So, what's your favourite type of food?" He asks me.

"Ummm… I like pasta. And Chinese. And Mexican. And Italian. I like all food, really."

He laughs at me. "Ok, well there's a really good Chinese place just off campus, so do you want to go there?"

I nod my head. "Sure."

* * *

We walk for about twenty minutes before getting to the little Chinese place and entering. It's a nice place, actually. Red and black décor, with Chinese lanterns hanging on the windows and walls. There are only a few other people in there; a couple who look to be in their early twenties, and three girls who I recognise from my psychology class. Skylar leads me to a table in a back corner and we sit down. A woman walks over and hands us the menu before leaving us to decide. For entrée I order chicken San Choi Bow and Skylar orders Xinjiang lamb skewers. For our mains, Skylar gets the Seafood combination with Satay sauce, while I get beef with Black Bean sauce, and we get a large vegetable fried rice to share. I cannot believe I haven't been to this place before; it's amazing!

We spend four hours sitting at the table, just talking and laughing. We tell each other our favourite quotes from movies, our favourite books, our favourite songs.

"So, I didn't have you pegged as a One Direction and Taylor Swift girl." He confesses as we discuss music.

I smile at him. "Well, I have always loved Taylor since I first heard Tim McGraw, what seven years ago now? She inspired me to be a good person. And, she was there for me when Mum first got sick. She was the person I could always rely on to help me feel better. I was listening to one of her songs in Junior year, and it inspired me to write my own music. I wrote a song about this guy who'd asked me out in Freshman year but I said no. And she could make me smile when I was just so sick of all of the shit in my life, and she was there for me when I just needed to cry. And I never had to worry about letting her down." I admit.

"And One Direction?" He questions.

"Well, I'm not one of those crazy fans. I'm not too bothered about the boys, actually. But there music is everything that every girl ever wants to hear. I think that's why so many guys hate them so much, because they say the words that every girl wants to hear but no guy ever has the balls to say to them. They can make me feel beautiful."

"You are beautiful." He says quietly.

"You're the first guy, other than my brother or cousins, to ever tell me that." I mumble.

"Well every other guy is stupid. Or blind."

I smile at him softly. "Thank you…" After a few moments of silence, I speak again. "So, what's your favourite song right at this very moment?"

"My new compilation." He answers immediately.

I roll my eyes at him. "Of course it is. But seriously, what's your favourite song?"

"My compilation." He insists.

I quirk an eyebrow at him in disbelief.

"Because it convinced you to come out with me tonight and give this a shot. So that is my favourite song." He explains.

"You are such a sap." I say to him.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Well, I did grow up in a house full of girls, except for Dad and Alex."

"Your family sounds really nice."

"Yeah, they're amazing." He says. "I think they'd like you."

"One date and you're already thinking about whether your family will like me?" I laugh.

"Actually, I've been thinking for a while that they'd like you." He confesses.

I shake my head in disbelief. "You have great faith in this, don't you?"

"You have to have faith in something." He responds.

* * *

Skylar leads me up to the door of the Bella house and stops, grabbing my hand as I reach to open the door. I turn back and look at him.

"I had fun tonight." He says quietly.

"Me too." I admit. "Um, do you want to do it again sometime?"

He grins at me happily. "I'd love too! We can watch another movie; _Ferris Bueller's Day Off _maybe…"

"Or I could choose the movie." I hint.

"Or you could choose the movie." He agrees. "And we could go to a fancy Italian restaurant…"

"Please don't take me out to a five star restaurant." I beg, cutting in again.

He rolls his eyes at me. "Fine, I'll find a four star Italian restaurant."

"Or a three star place would suffice." I say.

"Nope." He says. "I am trying to woo you, and three stars will not work."

"Fine." I say.

He grins at me and leans forward. My breath catches in my throat, I mean our only other kiss was during Spin The Bottle and to say he was drunk by that stage would be an understatement. However, he only presses his lips to my forehead, which kind of disappoints me a bit.

"See you tomorrow." He says, turning and walking down the stairs and out the gate.

"Yeah," I confirm even though he can't hear me anymore. "Tomorrow."

I open the door and walk into the house to be bombarded by the other Bellas, who were apparently all waiting up for me.

"Hey guys." I greet them.

"How was it?" Christina asks.

"Did he kiss you?" Halley questions.

"Did you have hot bathroom sex at the restaurant?" Stacie asks.

"Is there going to be a second date?" Jessica asks.

"Did you have fun?" Beca asks.

"It was good. Kind of. No we did not. I think so. Yes, it was amazing." I answer the five questions quickly before heading up the stairs to my room because I am so tired it's not even funny.

"Apparently she's not gonna give us any juicy goss." I hear Sarah complain as I reach the top of the stairs.

"That is correct!" I shout down the stairs to them.

I hear laughter erupt from them all and roll my eyes, walking down the hallway and into Stacie's and my bedroom. I quickly change out of my clothes and into my pyjamas before I crawl into bed and pull the covers up to my chin. I close my eyes, thinking about the events of the day.

Just as I'm drifting off to sleep, the bedroom door opens and Stacie walks in. She walks over to my bed and crouches down beside my head.

"I'm glad you had fun." She whispers. "I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy."

I smile at her. "Thanks Stace."

"And now I can reveal my trade secrets to you on how to drive a man absolutely crazy."

"I can't wait." I say sarcastically.

"Yep, it will be a life changing discussion, I promise. You will learn that it is possible to do things which you never imagined."

I wrinkle my nose up. "Gross."

Stacie opens her mouth to continue talking, but I untangle my hand from the bed covers and hold it up, silencing her. "No, stop talking. You are disgusting. If you want to tell me about your sex life, at least get me drunk first."

"Well, we know what's going to happen this weekend." She says as she stands and walks away from me, pulling her top and jeans off on the way and climbing into her bed in just her underwear and bra.

"I look forward to it." I say sarcastically.

Stacie winks at me and I roll my eyes before rolling over in my bed to face the wall instead of her.

* * *

**There you have it! Be prepared for the next chapter, as well! That's going up in a few minutes, too!**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Oh, the songs Skylar used (in this order) are: _Little Things_ by One Direction, _Paradise_ by Coldplay, _Lego House _by Ed Sheeran,_ Everything Has Changed_ by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, _A Thousand Years_ by Christina Perri, _Amazing_ by Westlife, _Little Things_ by One Direction, _Everything Has Changed_ by Taylor Swift, and _They Don't Know About Us_ by One Direction. I would like to thank the beautiful Oliviab13 for helping me compile the songs together!**


	14. Chapter 11

**I know, two chapters in one day! Whoa! Haha yeah that's because I can't promise that I will update again for two weeks because I'm on holidays with no internet :( So, this is to make up for the lack of new chapters during the end of this week and all next week.**

**The first part of this chapter is Beca/Anna, the second part is Anna/Halley, and the last part is Skyna with a dash of Anna/Stacie. Sorry, no Jeca at all in this chapter! I really had to get this done and out of the way though, because it's setting the scene for a very important movication which will take place soon. Also, this chapter deals with some quite serious issues. You have been prewarned.**

**Also, the 'other thing' that Tyler cryptically mentioned to Jesse is in here, so keep your eyes peeled. It won't be too hard to spot though, trust me.**

**There is a song in here which I wrote about a guy who asked me out three years ago. I have altered a few words here and there to fit with Anna's life, but yeah I wrote it about something very personal. I have only showed it to my Mum, my cousin and my three best friends (one of whom lives on the other side of the world to me). So please, let me know what you think of it. And please please please don't steal it. It was the first song I ever wrote and I love it.**

**_Disclaimer:_**** I don't own ****_Pitch Perfect_**** or any of the movie's original characters. I do however own Anna and Skylar, along with the characters of Halley, Christina and Sarah (their real-life counterparts all said to me that I do not own them, so that part of the disclaimer was just to sate them.) Also, I own the song which Anna sings in this chapter, ****_Could've Changed You_****. And I own the song which Anna is singing when Beca walks in, which is called****_ I Want To_****.**

* * *

**Beca's POV**

I knock on Stacie and Anna's bedroom door nervously.

I get no response, so softly speak, "Anna? It's Beca."

"Come in!" I hear Anna say and swing the door open to see her sitting cross-legged on her bed, a guitar resting on her lap as she scribbles madly on a notebook sitting in front of her.

I walk over and sit down on her desk chair, watching her silently as she drops the pen onto the paper and lifts her guitar as she begins singing and strumming the guitar. She frowns slightly and goes back, singing the line again but playing something different on the guitar.

_"I couldn't help it, I let you in  
You broke down my walls far too easily  
I trust you but I don't think I'm crazy anymore  
Because I know you  
I know you  
Just like I wanted to"_

Anna smiles happily. "That's better." She quickly writes it down and begins playing the song from the start.

I smile as I watch her. This is how I get when I'm working on a new mix. It's incredible, how much you can invest yourself into making music perfect. That's why I don't disrupt her, choosing to just wait for her to finish, because I know the feeling of having to get a piece finished once you've started it.

Anna smiles happily as she finishes the song and snaps the notebook shut. She takes her guitar off her lap and gets up off her bed to put it on its stand. "So what's up, Bee?"

I smile briefly at the nickname Anna has given me. "Um well… There's this thing that I think I should tell Jesse, but I don't know if I can physically do it."

"Ok…" She says slowly, motioning for me to come and sit on the bed with her.

I take a deep breath and begin to explain. "I was pregnant…"

Her eyes pop open wide at that revelation. "Congratulations!" She exclaims, but then something in her face changes as she realises exactly what I had said. "Wait… you said 'was'."

I nod my head slowly and look down at my knees. "Yeah, I was. I um… I had a miscarriage." I mumble.

"What? You have to tell Jesse! He deserves to know, it was his child-"

I cut her off quickly. "It wasn't his kid."

"What?" She looks more than confused now.

"It was a while ago. I was 16, a sophomore in high school. I was dating a junior and we were out at a party. It was just one time, but that's all it takes I guess."

"Oh my god…" Anna whispers.

"I was almost five months pregnant when it happened. Two days earlier I had an ultrasound and found out it was a girl. That's why I have this." I pull the front of my shirt down slightly so she can see the star tattoo resting above where my heart it. "I named her Stella, which means 'star'."

I have managed not to cry about Stella in front of anyone since it happened, but telling Anna, I begin to break down.

"Hey," She pulls me into her arms and kisses my hair. "Shhh. Shhh."

I hiccup slightly and continue talking. "My boyfriend at the time, he surprised me and stuck around when he found out I was pregnant. But after I lost the baby… he hated me. I saw him once after it happened, and then he just disappeared. He took off. Nobody knows where he went. His parents blamed me for getting pregnant in the first place, and they blamed me for losing the baby, and they blamed me for Toby taking off. It was all my fault in their eyes." I laugh bitterly.

"Beca. That was not your fault." Anna says firmly. "You can't even allow yourself to think that."

I look up at her. "But it was. I didn't want to have a baby, I mean, I was 16! I was just starting to get used to the idea of being a mother – I was even excited to see my baby! And then…" I pause and wipe my eyes quickly. "She was gone and I never got to see my daughter."

I know I shouldn't be laying this all on Anna, but I have to tell someone. Someone has to know why I close off when I see a pregnant woman, and why I adore little kids so much. Someone has to know why I'm really scared about getting serious with Jesse. It's not because of my parents, because Mum is happier now with Paul than she ever was with Dad. It's because Toby just got up and left me when things got difficult.

"Bee, you listen to me right now!" Anna commands and I look up from her shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for what happened with Stella. Things happen and you can't control any of it, and you certainly can't blame yourself for any of it. Trust me, I know. I used to blame myself for Mum getting sick, but then I realise that no amount of hating myself, or hurting myself, will bring her back. It's impossible for me to bring her back, just like it's impossible for me to have been the reason she died. Some things just aren't meant to be."

"You should be a motivational speaker." I say as I mull over everything Anna had said.

"I'll be your motivational speaker." She says, and pauses for a minute before continuing. "So what happened after that? After Toby left?" She asks carefully.

I turn my hands over and show her my wrists.

She nods her head in understanding. "I thought so. Does Jesse know about that?" She asks, meaning the scars.

"He's seen them. I try not to let him see them, but he does sometimes. He doesn't ask why, though. I don't know if he's just respecting my privacy, or if he's too scared to find out."

"Probably both." Anna says and I nod in agreement.

"I purged too, for a while. Or just didn't eat, depending on how my day had been."

"That's why you're so worried about making sure Sarah eats and not letting her out of your sight after meals." Anna says in realisation.

I nod my head. "Yeah. That girl is too thin. I'm worried about her."

"Beca, you need to deal with your own problems before you start trying to fix everyone else's."

"Says you?" I snap.

She flinches at my tone. "Ok yeah, maybe I'm a hypocrite. But Bec, you're my best friend. I've told you, Halley and Skylar things I never dreamed I'd tell anyone. I mean, I told you how fucked up my life was the first day I met you! I trust you so much, Bee. I would do anything to help you."

"I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help! Stop trying to fix me!" I yell.

Her eyes darken at me. "If you don't need my help, why the hell are you here?!"

"You know what, I'm starting to ask myself that question, too!" I say and stand up, walking out of Anna and Stacie's room and into mine, flopping down onto the bed.

"NEXT TIME, DON'T COME FUCKING RUNNING TO ME WHEN YOU WANT HELP, YOU SELFISH BITCH!" I hear Anna yell through the wall at me.

"ARGH!" I scream into my pillow.

* * *

**Anna's POV**

I hear a muffled scream come from Beca's bedroom and I punch the wall in frustration.

"FUCK!" I scream, clutching my hand in pain.

Ok, so maybe that wasn't my best idea. Not to self: never punch a wall again. Ever.

Halley appears in the doorway of my bedroom to see what's wrong.

"What did you do?" She laughs as she sees me cradling my hand.

"Beca pissed me off so I punched the wall." I grumble.

Halley bites her lip to stop herself from laughing. "You know, I broke my hand once from punching a wall. I was 14 and ad just found out that Mum had booked me in to see a therapist. I was pissed off because I didn't think I needed a therapist. I don't even remember why I had to see the therapist, actually… But yeah, my hand was in a cast for a whole month! It was horrible. And we went camping in the last week that I had my cast on, and the camp ground was really sandy and I had to spend the last week of having a cast on with sand in it. It sucked. I had a rash on my hand from the sand rubbing when I got the cast off."

I laugh at Halley's story. That's why I love this girl, because she can always make me laugh. Oh, and she's my bitching buddy, too.

"Show me." She commands, walking over and pointing to my right hand. I gingerly place it in Halley's hands and she examines it carefully. She pokes my wrist.

"YOU BITCH!" I shriek and try to rip my hand out of her grasp, but she's having none of that.

"Well, it's not broken." She states as she turns my hand over.

"Well that's just marvellous." I growl at her.

She grins at me. "Toughen up princess; it's just a sprained wrist. We'll ice it and it should be fine in a few days. But you won't be able to play guitar until it's better."

I flop back on my bed in frustration. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Nope." Halley says, popping the 'p'. "I, as your extremely experienced doctor, order you to not play guitar or piano for five days."

"You are full of bullshit." I say seriously to her.

"Yes I am." She nods in agreement. "But so are you. Which is why we get along so well."

I roll my eyes at her.

"Wait here. I'm going to get a bandage to wrap your wrist in, and some ice for it."

"Sure. Where else am I going to go?" I mutter.

"That's the spirit!" She exclaims as she walks out of the door.

I grab my phone and text Skylar. **I'm going to have to cancel movie night today. Sorry. A x**

Almost immediately my phone starts ringing in my hand. I sigh and answer the answer the call.

"How come you can't come over? Are you ok? You're not sick, are you?" He asks before I even have a chance to speak.

"No I'm fine. I just… Beca and I kind of had a fight, and I'm not in the mood to watch one of your movies. I don't really want to leave my room, to be honest." I explain.

"Do you want me to come over?" He asks gently.

I pause in consideration.

"I can bring chocolate." He offers and that's all I need to make my decision.

"That'd be great."

* * *

Five minutes later and Skylar is carefully poking his head around the door of my bedroom.

Halley puts a clip on the bandage around my wrist to hold it securely in place, and presses the ice pack on top of the thin material.

"What the hell happened?!" Skylar exclaims.

"You're girlfriend punched the wall." Halley explains for me.

"He took me on one date. I'm not his girlfriend." I cut in.

"It's just sprained though, not broken." Halley continues, completely ignoring me.

"Well, I guess that's good." Skylar says slowly, also ignoring my comment.

"I can't play piano or guitar for five days." I grumble.

"Says who?" He questions.

I point to Halley with my good hand.

"And what medical experience do you have?" He asks her.

"I punched a wall once and broke my hand. And I did a first aid course last year. But nothing really official. Actually, I almost failed the first aid course." Halley reveals and I face palm.

"You are such a dipshit." I say to her.

She shrugs her shoulders and gets up off the bed, walking out.

"Hey." Skylar smiles softly at me as Halley closes the door behind her and he walks toward my bed.

"Hi." I say bluntly.

I can tell he's trying to hold back his laughter and smirk at my bad mood. He plops down on the bed beside me and pulls my bandaged hand onto his lap, tossing his jacket and grocery bag down beside him.

"You're good at making yourself at home, you know that right?" I question as he examines my hand.

He looks up from his inspection and nods his head. "I have been told that before, yes."

"You're a dickhead." I say, but smile at him.

"So, I thought we could still watch a movie, but you could pick?" He suggests.

I smile, nodding my head happily. "Could we watch _Prince Of Persia_?"

"Of course we can." He stands up from the bed and pulls said movie off my movie shelf, grabbing my laptop off the desk and sliding the DVD into the disc slot as he sits back down beside me.

This time, it's my turn t spout random movie trivia for the duration o the film.

* * *

"Gemma Arterton was born with six fingers on each hand." I inform Skylar as the movie finishes.

"Really?" He questions.

"Yep. She had an extra pinky finger on each hand. She was filming this movie and the director told her she was doing her hand gestures wrong and she was like, "well when you were born with six fingers, everything looks pretty good from up here"."

Skylar laughs and I rest my head on his shoulder. His hand snakes around my back and rests on my waist.

"Can you sing me one of your songs?" He questions suddenly.

"Huh?" I ask sleepily as I yawn.

"Can you sing me one of the songs you wrote? The one you're most proud of."

"Ok um… How about the first ever full song I did?"

He nods his head excitedly at me.

I stand up from the bed and walk over to my clavenova keyboard, switching the sound effects to 'grand piano'.

"Uh, didn't Halley tell you not to play piano?" Skylar remembers.

"I'll be careful, don't worry." I say as I sit down on the stool. I play the opening bars before I start singing.

_"I still remember it, sitting in math class  
You turned 'round from in front of me, asked me on a date  
I was just a shy girl, a nobody to everyone  
But you, you were the most popular boy in our year  
I remember I had a crush on you,  
But then, so did every other girl  
I thought you would have preferred any girl over me_

_Maybe I should've said yes,  
Maybe I should've agreed,  
Looking back on it now…  
You were a bad boy, I was a scared girl  
Two years on and you are still a bad boy  
But I'm no longer a scared girl  
So sometimes late at night I think to myself,  
"Maybe I could've saved him,  
Maybe, maybe I could've changed him"_

_I remember how your face fell  
The moment I said "no"  
I had just assumed you were joking,  
And that I would be the punch line  
So I rejected you and laughed it off  
Because I was a scared girl,  
And every other girl wanted you too.  
I thought later that night  
"Did he really want me? Could I maybe change him?"_

_Maybe I should've said yes,  
Maybe I should've agreed,  
Looking back on it now…  
You were a bad boy, I was a scared girl  
Two years on and you are still a bad boy  
But I'm no longer a scared girl  
So sometimes late at night I think to myself,  
"Maybe I could've saved him,  
Maybe I could've changed him"_

_I told my Aunt about it that night  
When she called just to say hi  
She said "So why did you say no?"  
I told her I was scared that you were just being stupid  
Or that maybe you'd use me and break me apart  
Then she said "Baby, you can't live your life scared"_

_Maybe I should've said yes,  
Maybe I should've agreed,  
Looking back on it now…  
You were a bad boy, I was a scared girl  
Two years on and you are still a bad boy  
But I'm no longer a scared girl  
So sometimes late at night I think to myself,  
"Maybe I could've saved him,  
Maybe I could've changed him."_

_The other day you said hi to me  
As we passed in the hallway  
My friend looked at me, shocked,  
Because you're still the most popular boy in our year  
And I'm still a nobody to most  
I said, "He asked me out once. Maybe I could've saved him."_

_I want to tell you I was a scared girl,  
And I'm still so sorry for not giving you a chance,  
I wish I'd said yes,  
I wish I'd agreed,  
You laid your reputation on the ground for me,  
And I ran the other way._

_As you walked away I thought to myself:  
"Do you think I could've changed you,  
Or would you have changed me?""_

I look up at Skylar as I play the final chord.

"That was… that was amazing." He says in awe.

"You sound so surprised." I tease.

"I'm serious, Anna. That was brilliant! You could make a living out of writing songs!" He exclaims.

I bite my bottom lip nervously and look down at the black and white keys.

"Who was it about?" He asks curiously.

"This guy I met after Aunt Jenny died and Dad made me go and live with him. He enrolled me into this posh private school, and this guy was in most of my classes. I wrote the song about him. Somehow, a few weeks after I'd written it, he found out about it and asked me if I could sing it to him. He was amazed by it and we started going out. I was so happy." I smile at the memory. "I thought he was all I'd ever need. But, he wanted more and I wasn't ready to do that. He said he was fine with it, but a few weeks after that I found out he'd been sleeping with my supposed best friend. So, that was the end of both a relationship and a friendship."

"That's disgusting." He says. "Why would anyone do that? Especially to you?"

I laugh at his reaction. "It's ok. It's in the past now, I guess."

He looks at me. "Bad boys aren't all they're cut out to be, are they?"

I quirk my eyebrow at him. "How do you know bad boys aren't all they're cut out to be? Did you date one, too? Have you got something you'd like to share, Sky?" I joke.

He rolls his eyes at my sarcastic comment. "I know because I was one for a while."

"You, king of nerdiness, was a bad boy?" I say in disbelief.

"You sound so surprised!" He copies what I had said earlier.

"Yeah, that's because I am surprised." I say. "I do not see you as a bad boy."

"It's true. I was one of them." He states, sighing melodramatically.

"Well, there's no question as to why they kicked you out." I respond.

"Oh, care to share, Miss Astin?"

"Sure thing. You're too good to be one of them. You actually care about other people and their feelings. You're a good guy, not a bad boy."

"Really?" He questions, suddenly looking so unsure of himself.

I smile. "My mum always told me not to tell lies."

"She sounds like an amazing person." He whispers.

"She was." I say just as quietly.

"Anna, I really like you. Like, all I think about is you." He says unsurely. "And I was just… I just wanted to know whether you want this. Whether we're on the same page."

I stand up from the piano stool and look up at him, our bodies mere inches apart. "All I think about is you, too."

"Really?"

I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly. "I wrote a song for you. I'm pretty sure we're on the same page and want the same thing."

"You're sure?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk way too much?" I ask, getting annoyed.

He smirks at my impatience and leans down to press his lips to mine. I reach up on my tippy toes and wrap my arms securely around his neck as his hands settle on the small of my back, pulling my body flush against his. His hands move down to my thighs and as he lifts me up I wrap my legs around his hips. That almost brings my face up to the same height as his.

"Look, we're almost the same height now!" Skylar says, pulling away from my lips for just long enough to laugh that statement.

"Funny." I growl at him, punching his arm with my good hand.

He laughs and presses his lips to mine again when the bedroom door swings open and Stacie walks in, followed closely by Halley.

"Oh, don't mind me." Stacie says as Skylar and I quickly pull apart and my feet touch the ground again. "I'm just going to bed."

"And I was coming up to see if you wanted any more painkillers before I went to bed. But, I can see that you are otherwise occupied, so I'll leave you guys to it." Halley says before leaving. "I'll leave some pills outside the door!" She calls as she closes the door behind her.

I bury my face in Skylar's chest in embarrassment. I've never been caught making out with someone like that before. Actually, I've never made out with someone like that before, period. Skylar laughs and kisses the top of my head.

"It's not funny!" I whine at him.

He chuckles again before unwrapping his arms from around me. "I should go. It's really late."

"You could stay?" I suggest, biting my bottom lip nervously.

"Are you sure?"

I nod my head, probably a bit too enthusiastically, but oh well.

He smiles and nods in acceptance. "Ok."

"Now turn around so I can get changed." I command, and he does so.

"You know, you were just about having sex with that guy a minute ago, and now you won't let him watch you get changed into your PJs?" Stacie looks at me like I'm insane.

"Just because some of us have morals and don't get naked in front of everyone." I retort.

"Did you miss the whole 'you were about to have sex' part of my previous statement? Sex requires nudity."

"Ok I'm done." I say to Skylar as I pull my PJ top on.

He turns around and his jaw drops as he sees me.

"What?" I ask, fidgeting suddenly and attempting to make my short cotton shorts a bit longer.

Skylar says nothing, his mouth gaping open as he looks at me. "That is not what I imagined you would sleep in." He finally says.

"You've pictured me in bed before?" I ask cheekily as I go to the bedroom door and pick up the pills and glass of water from outside which Halley had left there for me. I look down at my pyjamas, suddenly unsure of my small pale pink cotton shorts and the too-big green t-shirt which always falls off my left shoulder and halfway down my arm. "I can put something else on."

"No. It's fine, really!" He says immediately. "It's just… I'm kind of used to seeing you in jeans, occasionally a dark t-shirt. Pink and green pyjamas is unexpected, but I can work with this."

I roll my eyes at him. "The top was my mum's." I admit quietly as he walks toward me. "She always used to wear it around the house." I smile as the memories of mum wearing this top flood back. Mum out in the garden with her precious flowers, playing soccer in the backyard with Ollie and I, making us milkshakes, taking us to the local pool, wrapping Christmas presents for the rest of our family. She's wearing this top in so many of my favourite memories.

"It reminds you of her." He says in understanding.

"Yeah." I agree. "It reminds me of her in a good way, instead of all the times she was in hospital."

"Can you guys shut up?" Stacie grumbles, her head peering out at us from under her covers. "If you're gonna screw each other, just do it already. If not, shut up and go to bed."

"Well we can tell who hasn't had their daily requirement of sexual intercourse." I laugh and Stacie tosses a spare pillow at my head.

"I hate you." She groans at me.

"The feeling is mutual." I say as I climb into my bed and motion for Skylar to lie down beside me.

He gets in and I lay my head on his chest.

"I could get used to this." He mutters quietly to me as his fingers begin tapping a pattern on the bare skin of my hip where my t-shirt has ridden up.

I mumble some incoherent agreement as sleep and the pain pills – and Skylar's amazing smell – clouds my head.

But in the back of my mind, despite what happened with Skylar and I tonight, I keep replaying my fight with Beca. As my mind gets even more blurry, I can hear myself screaming at her, _"NEXT TIME, DON'T COME FUCKING RUNNING TO ME WHEN YOU WANT HELP, YOU SELFISH BITCH!"_

* * *

**Ta da! So that is that chapter! Let me know what you think! There was a lot that I put in that chapter: Beca's miscarriage, self harm and eating disorder; Sarah's possible eating disorder; Halley's stupidity and the fact she had to see a therapist; Skyna; Beca and Anna's fight. It was pretty intense so yeah... just let me know what you thought!**


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